4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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284 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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293 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
295 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
299 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
300 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
301 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
302 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
303 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
304 License'' in the Emacs manual.
306 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
307 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
308 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
310 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
311 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
312 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
313 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
321 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
323 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
324 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
326 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
327 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
328 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
329 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
330 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
331 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
332 License'' in the Emacs manual.
334 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
335 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
336 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
338 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
339 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
340 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
341 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
347 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
349 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
352 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
355 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
357 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
358 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
359 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
360 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
361 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
362 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
363 License'' in the Emacs manual.
365 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
366 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
367 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
369 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
370 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
371 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
372 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
381 @top The gnus Newsreader
385 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
386 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
387 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
390 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
391 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
392 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
393 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
394 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
395 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
397 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
408 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
409 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
411 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
412 being accused of plagiarism:
414 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
415 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
416 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
417 can even read news with it!
419 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
420 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
421 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
422 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
423 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
429 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
430 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
431 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
432 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
433 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
434 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
435 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
436 * Various:: General purpose settings.
437 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
438 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
439 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
440 * Key Index:: Key Index.
442 Other related manuals
444 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
445 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
446 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
447 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
450 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
454 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
455 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
456 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
457 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
458 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
459 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
460 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
461 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
462 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
463 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
464 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
468 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
469 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
470 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
474 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
475 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
476 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
477 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
478 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
479 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
480 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
481 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
482 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
483 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
484 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
485 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
486 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
487 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
488 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
489 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
490 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
494 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
495 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
496 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
500 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
501 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
502 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
503 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
504 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
508 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
509 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
510 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
511 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
512 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
516 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
517 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
518 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
519 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
520 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
521 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
522 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
523 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
524 * Threading:: How threads are made.
525 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
526 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
527 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
528 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
529 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
530 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
531 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
532 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
533 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
534 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
535 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
536 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
537 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
538 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
539 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
540 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
541 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
542 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
543 or reselecting the current group.
544 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
545 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
546 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
547 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
549 Summary Buffer Format
551 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
552 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
553 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
554 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
558 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
559 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
561 Reply, Followup and Post
563 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
564 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
565 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
566 * Canceling and Superseding::
570 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
571 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
572 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
574 * Generic Marking Commands::
575 * Setting Process Marks::
579 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
580 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
581 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
585 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
586 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
588 Customizing Threading
590 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
591 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
592 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
593 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
597 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
598 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
599 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
600 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
601 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
602 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
606 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
607 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
608 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
612 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
613 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
614 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
615 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
616 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
617 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
618 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
619 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
620 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
621 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
623 Alternative Approaches
625 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
626 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
628 Various Summary Stuff
630 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
631 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
632 * Summary Generation Commands::
633 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
637 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
638 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
639 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
640 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
641 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
645 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
646 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
647 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
648 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
649 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
650 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
651 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
652 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
656 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
657 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
658 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
659 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
660 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
661 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
662 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
663 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
667 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
668 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
669 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
670 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
671 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
672 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
673 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
677 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
678 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
682 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
683 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
684 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
688 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
689 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
690 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
691 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
692 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
693 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
694 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
695 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
696 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
697 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
698 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
699 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
700 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
704 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
705 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
706 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
708 Choosing a Mail Back End
710 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
711 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
712 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
713 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
714 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
715 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
716 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
721 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
722 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
723 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
724 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
725 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
726 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
730 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
731 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
732 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
733 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
734 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
738 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
739 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
740 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
741 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
742 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
746 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
750 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
751 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
752 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
756 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
757 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
761 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
762 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
763 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
764 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
765 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
766 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
767 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
768 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
769 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
770 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
771 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
772 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
776 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
777 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
778 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
782 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
783 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
784 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
788 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
789 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
790 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
791 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
792 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
793 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
794 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
795 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
796 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
797 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
798 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
799 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
800 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
801 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
802 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
803 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
804 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
808 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
809 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
810 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
811 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
815 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
816 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
817 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
821 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
822 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
823 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
824 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
825 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
826 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
827 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
828 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
829 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
830 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
831 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
832 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
833 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
834 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
835 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
836 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
837 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
838 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
839 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
843 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
844 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
845 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
846 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
847 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
848 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
849 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
850 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
854 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
855 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
856 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
857 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
861 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
862 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
863 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
864 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
865 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
866 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
870 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
871 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
872 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
873 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
874 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
875 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
876 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
877 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
878 * Frequently Asked Questions::
882 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
883 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
884 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
885 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
886 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
887 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
888 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
889 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
890 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
894 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
895 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
896 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
897 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
898 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
902 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
903 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
904 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
905 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
909 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
910 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
911 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
912 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
913 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
914 * Group Info:: The group info format.
915 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
916 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
917 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
921 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
922 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
923 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
924 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
925 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
926 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
930 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
931 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
935 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
936 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
942 @chapter Starting gnus
947 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
948 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
951 @findex gnus-other-frame
952 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
953 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
954 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
956 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
957 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
958 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
960 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
961 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
964 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
965 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
966 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
967 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
968 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
969 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
970 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
971 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
972 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
973 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
974 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
978 @node Finding the News
979 @section Finding the News
982 @vindex gnus-select-method
984 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
985 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
986 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
987 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
990 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
991 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
994 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
997 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1000 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1003 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1004 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1005 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1007 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1009 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1010 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1011 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1012 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1013 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1014 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1016 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1017 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1018 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1019 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1021 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1022 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1023 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1024 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1025 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1026 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1027 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1028 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1029 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1032 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1034 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1035 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1036 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1037 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1038 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1039 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1041 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1043 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1044 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1045 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1046 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1047 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1048 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1051 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1052 you would typically set this variable to
1055 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1059 @node The First Time
1060 @section The First Time
1061 @cindex first time usage
1063 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1064 be subscribed by default.
1066 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1067 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1068 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1069 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1072 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1073 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1074 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1076 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1077 help you with most common problems.
1079 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1080 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1084 @node The Server is Down
1085 @section The Server is Down
1086 @cindex server errors
1088 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1089 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1090 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1092 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1093 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1094 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1095 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1096 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1097 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1098 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1100 @findex gnus-no-server
1101 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1103 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1104 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1105 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1106 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1107 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1108 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1109 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1113 @section Slave Gnusae
1116 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1117 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1118 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1119 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1121 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1122 @file{.newsrc} file.
1124 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1125 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1126 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1127 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1128 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1129 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1130 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1133 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1134 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1135 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1136 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1137 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1138 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1139 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1140 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1142 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1143 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1145 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1146 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1147 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1148 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1149 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1151 @node Fetching a Group
1152 @section Fetching a Group
1153 @cindex fetching a group
1155 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1156 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1157 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1158 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1159 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1160 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1166 @cindex subscription
1168 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1169 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1170 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1171 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1172 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1173 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1174 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1175 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1176 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1179 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1180 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1181 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1185 @node Checking New Groups
1186 @subsection Checking New Groups
1188 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1189 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1190 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1191 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1192 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1193 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1194 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1195 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1196 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1197 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1199 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1200 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1201 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1202 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1203 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1204 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1205 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1206 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1207 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1208 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1209 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1211 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1212 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1213 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1214 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1215 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1216 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1219 @node Subscription Methods
1220 @subsection Subscription Methods
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1223 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1224 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1226 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1227 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1229 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1235 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1236 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1237 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1241 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1242 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1246 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1250 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1251 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1252 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1253 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1254 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1255 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1256 up. Or something like that.
1258 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1259 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1260 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1261 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1262 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1264 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1265 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1266 Kill all new groups.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1270 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1271 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1272 topic parameter that looks like
1278 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1281 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1286 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1287 A closely related variable is
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1289 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1290 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1291 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1294 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1295 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1296 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1297 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1300 @node Filtering New Groups
1301 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1303 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1304 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1305 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1308 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1311 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1312 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1313 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1314 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1315 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1316 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1317 subscribing these groups.
1318 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1319 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1321 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1322 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1323 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1324 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1325 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1326 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1327 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1328 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1330 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1331 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1332 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1333 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1334 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1335 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1336 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1337 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1338 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1339 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1342 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1343 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1346 @node Changing Servers
1347 @section Changing Servers
1348 @cindex changing servers
1350 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1351 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1352 very flaky and you want to use another.
1354 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1355 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1359 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1360 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1361 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1362 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1365 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1366 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1367 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1368 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1370 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1371 @findex gnus-change-server
1372 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1373 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1374 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1375 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1376 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1378 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1379 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1380 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1381 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1382 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1384 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1385 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1386 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1387 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1388 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1389 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1391 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1392 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1393 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1394 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1396 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1397 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1398 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1399 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1400 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1401 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1402 cache for all groups).
1406 @section Startup Files
1407 @cindex startup files
1412 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1413 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1415 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1416 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1417 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1418 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1419 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1420 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1421 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1423 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1424 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1425 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1426 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1427 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1428 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1430 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1431 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1432 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1433 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1434 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1435 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1436 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1437 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1438 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1439 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1441 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1442 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1443 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1444 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1445 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1446 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1447 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1448 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1449 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1450 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1451 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1452 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1454 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1455 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1456 @vindex version-control
1457 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1458 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1459 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1460 If you want version control for this file, set
1461 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1462 @code{version-control} variable.
1464 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1465 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1466 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1467 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1468 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1469 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1470 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1471 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1472 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1473 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1476 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1477 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1479 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1480 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1483 @vindex gnus-init-file
1484 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1485 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1486 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1487 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1488 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1489 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1490 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1491 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1492 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1493 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1499 @cindex dribble file
1502 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1503 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1504 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1505 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1506 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1509 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1510 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1513 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1514 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1515 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1517 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1518 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1519 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1520 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1521 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1522 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1524 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1525 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1526 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1529 @node The Active File
1530 @section The Active File
1532 @cindex ignored groups
1534 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1535 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1536 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1538 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1539 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1540 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1541 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1542 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1543 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1544 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1547 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1548 @c if you set it to anything else.
1550 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1552 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1553 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1554 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1556 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1557 you actually subscribe to.
1559 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1560 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1561 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1562 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1564 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1565 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1566 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1567 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1568 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1569 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1571 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1572 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1573 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1576 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1577 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1578 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1579 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1580 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1581 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1583 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1584 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1586 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1587 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1589 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1590 secondary select methods.
1593 @node Startup Variables
1594 @section Startup Variables
1598 @item gnus-load-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1600 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1601 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1602 times you start gnus.
1604 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1605 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1606 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1608 @item gnus-startup-hook
1609 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1610 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1612 @item gnus-started-hook
1613 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1614 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1617 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1618 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1619 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1620 generating the group buffer.
1622 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1623 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1624 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1625 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1626 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1627 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1628 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1629 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1631 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1632 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1633 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1634 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1635 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1636 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1638 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1639 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1640 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1642 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1643 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1644 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1646 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1647 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1648 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1649 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1655 @chapter Group Buffer
1656 @cindex group buffer
1658 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1660 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1661 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1662 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1663 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1664 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1665 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1666 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1667 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1668 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1669 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1670 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1671 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1672 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1673 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1674 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1675 @c human rights at 9...
1678 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1679 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1680 long as gnus is active.
1684 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1685 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1686 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1687 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1688 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1689 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1690 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1691 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1697 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1698 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1699 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1700 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1701 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1702 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1703 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1704 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1705 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1706 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1707 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1708 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1709 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1710 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1711 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1712 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1713 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1717 @node Group Buffer Format
1718 @section Group Buffer Format
1721 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1722 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1723 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1727 @node Group Line Specification
1728 @subsection Group Line Specification
1729 @cindex group buffer format
1731 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1732 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1734 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1737 25: news.announce.newusers
1738 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1743 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1744 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1745 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1746 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1748 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1749 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1750 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1751 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1752 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1753 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1755 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1757 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1758 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1759 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1760 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1761 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1763 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1764 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1765 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1767 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1772 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1775 Whether the group is subscribed.
1778 Level of subscribedness.
1781 Number of unread articles.
1784 Number of dormant articles.
1787 Number of ticked articles.
1790 Number of read articles.
1793 Number of unseen articles.
1796 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1797 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1799 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1800 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1801 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1802 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1803 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1804 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1805 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1806 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1809 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1812 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1821 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1822 comment element in the group parameters.
1825 Newsgroup description.
1828 @samp{m} if moderated.
1831 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1837 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1843 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1847 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1850 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1851 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1852 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1853 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1854 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1857 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1859 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1863 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1866 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1870 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1871 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1872 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1873 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1874 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1875 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1880 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1881 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1882 group, or a bogus native group.
1885 @node Group Modeline Specification
1886 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1887 @cindex group modeline
1889 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1890 The mode line can be changed by setting
1891 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1892 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1896 The native news server.
1898 The native select method.
1902 @node Group Highlighting
1903 @subsection Group Highlighting
1904 @cindex highlighting
1905 @cindex group highlighting
1907 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1908 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1909 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1910 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1911 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1913 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1917 (cond (window-system
1918 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1919 (defface my-group-face-1
1920 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-2
1922 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1923 (defface my-group-face-3
1924 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-4
1926 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1927 (defface my-group-face-5
1928 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1930 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1931 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1932 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1933 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1934 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1935 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1938 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1940 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1947 The number of unread articles in the group.
1951 Whether the group is a mail group.
1953 The level of the group.
1955 The score of the group.
1957 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1959 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1960 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1962 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1963 topic being inserted.
1966 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1967 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1968 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1970 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1971 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1972 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1973 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1974 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1977 @node Group Maneuvering
1978 @section Group Maneuvering
1979 @cindex group movement
1981 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1982 expected, hopefully.
1988 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1989 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1990 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1996 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1997 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1998 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2002 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2003 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2007 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2008 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2012 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2013 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2014 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2019 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2020 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2023 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2029 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2030 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2031 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2036 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2037 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2038 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2042 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2043 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2044 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2047 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2048 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2049 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2050 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2054 @node Selecting a Group
2055 @section Selecting a Group
2056 @cindex group selection
2061 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2062 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2063 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2064 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2065 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2066 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2067 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2068 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2069 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2070 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2072 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2073 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2074 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2076 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2077 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2082 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2083 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2084 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2085 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2086 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2090 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2091 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2092 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2093 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2094 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2095 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2096 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2097 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2098 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2099 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2102 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2103 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2104 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2105 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2106 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2109 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2110 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2111 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2112 doing any processing of its contents
2113 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2114 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2115 manner will have no permanent effects.
2119 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2120 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2121 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2122 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2123 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2124 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2125 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2126 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2129 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2130 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2131 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2132 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2133 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2134 Which article this is is controlled by the
2135 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2141 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2144 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2147 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2149 @item unseen-or-unread
2150 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2151 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2155 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2159 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2160 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2162 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2163 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2164 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2165 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2169 @node Subscription Commands
2170 @section Subscription Commands
2171 @cindex subscription
2179 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2180 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2181 Toggle subscription to the current group
2182 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2188 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2189 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2190 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2191 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2198 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2199 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2205 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2206 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2209 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2210 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2211 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2212 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2213 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2219 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2220 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2225 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2228 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2230 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2231 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2232 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2233 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2234 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2235 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2236 @file{.newsrc} file.
2240 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2250 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2251 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2252 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2253 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2254 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2255 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2260 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2261 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2262 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2266 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2267 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2268 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2270 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2271 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2272 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2273 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2274 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2275 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2282 @section Group Levels
2286 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2287 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2288 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2289 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2290 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2292 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2298 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2299 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2300 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2301 prompted for a level.
2304 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2305 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2306 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2307 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2308 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2309 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2310 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2311 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2312 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2313 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2314 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2315 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2316 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2317 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2318 reasons of efficiency.
2320 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2321 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2323 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2324 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2325 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2326 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2327 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2328 groups are hidden, in a way.
2330 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2331 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2332 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2333 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2334 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2335 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2337 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2338 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2339 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2340 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2341 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2342 list of killed groups.)
2344 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2345 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2346 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2348 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2349 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2350 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2351 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2352 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2353 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2354 relevant valid ranges.
2356 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2357 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2358 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2359 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2360 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2361 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2364 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2365 one with the best level.
2367 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2368 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2369 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2372 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2373 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2374 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2375 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2378 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2379 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2380 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2381 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2383 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2384 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2385 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2386 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2387 to 5. The default is 6.
2391 @section Group Score
2396 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2397 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2398 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2401 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2402 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2403 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2404 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2405 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2406 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2407 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2408 least significant part.))
2410 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2411 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2412 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2413 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2414 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2415 action after each summary exit, you can add
2416 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2417 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2418 slow things down somewhat.
2421 @node Marking Groups
2422 @section Marking Groups
2423 @cindex marking groups
2425 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2426 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2427 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2428 bidding on those groups.
2430 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2431 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2432 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2440 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2441 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2447 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2448 Remove the mark from the current group
2449 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2453 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2454 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2458 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2459 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2464 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2469 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2470 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2473 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2475 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2476 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2477 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2478 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2479 the command to be executed.
2482 @node Foreign Groups
2483 @section Foreign Groups
2484 @cindex foreign groups
2486 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2487 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2488 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2489 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2496 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2497 @cindex making groups
2498 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2499 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2500 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2504 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2505 @cindex renaming groups
2506 Rename the current group to something else
2507 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2508 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2514 @findex gnus-group-customize
2515 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2519 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2520 @cindex renaming groups
2521 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2522 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2526 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2527 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2528 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2533 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2534 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2540 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2541 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2546 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2547 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2551 @cindex (ding) archive
2552 @cindex archive group
2553 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2554 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2555 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2556 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2557 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2558 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2559 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2563 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2565 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2566 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2567 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2568 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2572 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2574 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2575 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2576 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2580 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2581 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2583 Make a group based on some file or other
2584 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2585 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2586 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2587 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2588 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2589 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2590 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2591 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2592 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2596 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2598 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2599 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2607 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2608 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2609 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2610 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2611 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2612 @xref{Web Searches}.
2614 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2615 to a particular group by using a match string like
2616 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2619 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2620 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2621 This function will delete the current group
2622 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2623 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2624 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2625 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2626 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2630 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2631 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2632 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2637 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2638 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2641 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2644 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2645 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2646 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2647 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2648 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2649 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2653 @node Group Parameters
2654 @section Group Parameters
2655 @cindex group parameters
2657 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2658 Here's an example group parameter list:
2661 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2665 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2666 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2667 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2668 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2670 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2671 is an alist of regexps and values.
2673 The following group parameters can be used:
2678 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2681 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2684 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2685 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2686 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2687 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2688 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2690 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2691 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2692 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2693 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2694 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2695 list address instead.
2697 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2701 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2704 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2707 It is totally ignored
2708 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2709 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2711 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2712 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2713 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2714 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2715 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2717 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2718 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2719 sending the message.
2721 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2722 @cindex Mail List Groups
2723 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2724 entering summary buffer.
2726 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2731 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2732 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2733 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2734 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2735 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{Mailing
2736 Lists, , Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual} for a complete
2737 treatment of available MFT support.
2739 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2740 directly uses this group parameter.
2744 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2745 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2746 of whether it has any unread articles.
2748 @item broken-reply-to
2749 @cindex broken-reply-to
2750 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2751 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2752 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2753 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2754 broken behavior. So there!
2758 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2759 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2763 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2764 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2765 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2770 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2771 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2772 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2773 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2774 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2775 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2776 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2777 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2778 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2782 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2783 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2784 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2786 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2789 @cindex total-expire
2790 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2791 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2792 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2793 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2796 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2800 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2801 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2802 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2803 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2804 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2805 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2806 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2809 @cindex score file group parameter
2810 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2811 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2812 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2815 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2816 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2817 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2818 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2821 @cindex admin-address
2822 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2823 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2824 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2825 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2829 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2830 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2834 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2837 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2838 entering the group with C-u @var{integer}.
2841 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2845 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2847 Here are some examples:
2851 Display only unread articles.
2854 Display everything except expirable articles.
2856 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2857 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2861 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2862 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2863 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2864 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2865 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2869 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2870 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2871 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2875 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2876 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2877 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2881 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2882 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2883 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2885 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2887 @item ignored-charsets
2888 @cindex ignored-charset
2889 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2890 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2891 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2893 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2896 @cindex posting-style
2897 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2898 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2899 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2900 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2901 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2903 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2904 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2905 like this in the group parameters:
2910 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2911 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2916 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2917 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2921 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2922 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2923 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2924 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2925 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2929 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2930 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2931 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2932 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2934 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2935 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2936 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2937 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2940 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2941 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2945 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2948 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2949 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2950 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2951 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2952 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2953 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2954 @code{eval}ed there.
2956 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2957 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2958 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2959 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2960 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2961 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2962 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2963 parameters for the group.
2966 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2967 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2968 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2969 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2970 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2974 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2975 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2976 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2977 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2978 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2980 @vindex gnus-parameters
2981 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2982 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2986 (setq gnus-parameters
2988 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2989 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2990 (gnus-summary-line-format
2991 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2995 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2999 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3003 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3006 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3007 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3010 @node Listing Groups
3011 @section Listing Groups
3012 @cindex group listing
3014 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3023 List all groups that have unread articles
3024 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3025 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3026 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3027 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3034 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3035 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3036 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3037 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3038 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3039 unsubscribed groups).
3043 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3044 List all unread groups on a specific level
3045 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3046 with no unread articles.
3050 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3051 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3052 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3053 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3058 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3059 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3063 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3064 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3065 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3070 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3074 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3075 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3076 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3077 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3078 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3079 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3080 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3081 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3085 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3086 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3087 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3091 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3092 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3093 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3097 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3098 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3102 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3103 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3107 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3108 List groups limited within the current selection
3109 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3113 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3114 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3118 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3119 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3123 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3124 @cindex visible group parameter
3125 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3126 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3127 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3128 get the same effect.
3130 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3131 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3132 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3133 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3134 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3137 @node Sorting Groups
3138 @section Sorting Groups
3139 @cindex sorting groups
3141 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3142 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3143 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3144 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3145 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3146 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3151 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3152 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3153 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3155 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3156 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3157 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3159 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3160 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3161 Sort by group level.
3163 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3165 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3167 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3168 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3169 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3170 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3172 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3173 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3174 Sort by number of unread articles.
3176 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3177 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3178 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3180 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3181 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3182 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3187 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3188 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3192 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3193 some sorting criteria:
3197 @kindex G S a (Group)
3198 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3199 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3200 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3203 @kindex G S u (Group)
3204 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3205 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3206 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3209 @kindex G S l (Group)
3210 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3211 Sort the group buffer by group level
3212 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3215 @kindex G S v (Group)
3216 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3217 Sort the group buffer by group score
3218 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3221 @kindex G S r (Group)
3222 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3223 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3224 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3227 @kindex G S m (Group)
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3229 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3230 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3233 @kindex G S n (Group)
3234 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3235 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3236 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3240 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3241 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3243 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3244 commands will sort in reverse order.
3246 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3250 @kindex G P a (Group)
3251 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3252 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3253 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3256 @kindex G P u (Group)
3257 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3258 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3259 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3262 @kindex G P l (Group)
3263 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3264 Sort the groups by group level
3265 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3268 @kindex G P v (Group)
3269 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3270 Sort the groups by group score
3271 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3274 @kindex G P r (Group)
3275 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3276 Sort the groups by group rank
3277 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3280 @kindex G P m (Group)
3281 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3282 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3283 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3286 @kindex G P n (Group)
3287 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3288 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3289 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3292 @kindex G P s (Group)
3293 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3294 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3298 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3302 @node Group Maintenance
3303 @section Group Maintenance
3304 @cindex bogus groups
3309 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3310 Find bogus groups and delete them
3311 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3315 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3316 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3317 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3318 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3319 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3323 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3324 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3325 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3326 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3327 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3328 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3331 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3332 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3333 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3334 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3339 @node Browse Foreign Server
3340 @section Browse Foreign Server
3341 @cindex foreign servers
3342 @cindex browsing servers
3347 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3348 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3349 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3350 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3353 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3354 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3355 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3356 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3358 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3363 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3364 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3368 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3369 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3372 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3373 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3374 Enter the current group and display the first article
3375 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3378 @kindex RET (Browse)
3379 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3380 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3384 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3385 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3386 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3392 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3393 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3397 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3398 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3402 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3403 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3404 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3409 @section Exiting gnus
3410 @cindex exiting gnus
3412 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3417 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3418 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3419 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3420 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3424 @findex gnus-group-exit
3425 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3426 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3430 @findex gnus-group-quit
3431 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3432 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3435 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3436 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3437 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3438 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3439 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3440 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3446 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3447 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3448 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3454 @section Group Topics
3457 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3458 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3459 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3460 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3461 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3462 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3466 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3467 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3478 2: alt.religion.emacs
3481 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3483 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3484 13: comp.sources.unix
3487 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3489 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3490 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3491 is a toggling command.)
3493 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3494 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3495 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3496 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3499 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3500 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3501 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3504 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3508 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3509 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3510 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3511 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3512 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3516 @node Topic Commands
3517 @subsection Topic Commands
3518 @cindex topic commands
3520 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3521 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3522 definitions slightly.
3524 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3525 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3526 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3527 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3528 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3529 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3531 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3538 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3539 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3540 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3544 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3546 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3547 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3548 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3549 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3552 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3553 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3554 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3555 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3559 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3560 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3561 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3562 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3568 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3569 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3570 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3574 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3575 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3576 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3579 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3580 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3581 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3582 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3583 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3585 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3586 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3590 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3591 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3598 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3600 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3601 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3602 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3603 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3604 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3605 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3609 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3615 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3616 Move the current group to some other topic
3617 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3618 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3622 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3623 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3627 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3628 Copy the current group to some other topic
3629 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3630 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3634 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3635 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3636 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3640 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3641 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3642 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3646 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3647 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3648 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3649 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3650 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3651 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3652 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3655 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3656 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3660 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3661 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3662 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3666 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3667 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3668 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3672 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3673 Toggle hiding empty topics
3674 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3678 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3679 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3681 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3684 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3685 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3686 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3687 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3688 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3691 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3692 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3693 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3694 expiry process (if any)
3695 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3699 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3700 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3703 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3704 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3705 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3709 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3710 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3711 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3714 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3715 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3716 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3719 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3720 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3721 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3725 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3726 @cindex group parameters
3727 @cindex topic parameters
3729 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3730 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3735 @node Topic Variables
3736 @subsection Topic Variables
3737 @cindex topic variables
3739 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3740 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3742 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3743 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3744 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3757 Number of groups in the topic.
3759 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3761 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3764 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3765 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3766 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3770 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3772 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3773 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3774 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3778 @subsection Topic Sorting
3779 @cindex topic sorting
3781 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3787 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3789 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3790 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3793 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3794 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3795 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3796 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3799 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3800 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3801 Sort the current topic by group level
3802 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3805 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3806 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3807 Sort the current topic by group score
3808 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3811 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3812 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3813 Sort the current topic by group rank
3814 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3817 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3818 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3819 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3820 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3823 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3824 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3825 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3826 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3830 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3831 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3832 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3833 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3837 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3838 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3842 @node Topic Topology
3843 @subsection Topic Topology
3844 @cindex topic topology
3847 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3853 2: alt.religion.emacs
3856 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3858 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3859 13: comp.sources.unix
3862 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3863 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3864 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3869 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3870 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3874 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3875 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3876 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3877 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3878 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3879 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3881 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3882 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3883 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3886 @node Topic Parameters
3887 @subsection Topic Parameters
3888 @cindex topic parameters
3890 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3891 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3892 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3894 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3899 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3900 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3901 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3904 @item subscribe-level
3905 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3906 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3907 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3911 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3912 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3913 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3914 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3920 2: alt.religion.emacs
3924 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3926 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3927 13: comp.sources.unix
3931 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3932 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3933 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3934 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3935 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3936 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3938 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3939 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3940 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3941 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3942 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3944 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3945 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3946 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3947 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3948 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3949 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3950 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3951 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3954 @node Misc Group Stuff
3955 @section Misc Group Stuff
3958 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3959 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3960 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3961 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3962 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3969 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3970 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3971 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3975 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3976 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3977 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3978 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3979 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3980 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3981 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3985 @findex gnus-group-mail
3986 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3987 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3988 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3989 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3993 @findex gnus-group-news
3994 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3995 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3996 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3998 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3999 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4000 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4001 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4002 for this to work though.
4006 Variables for the group buffer:
4010 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4011 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4012 is called after the group buffer has been
4015 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4016 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4017 is called after the group buffer is
4018 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4021 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4022 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4023 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4024 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4026 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4027 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4028 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4029 whether they are empty or not.
4031 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4032 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4033 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4034 non-ASCII group names.
4038 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4039 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4042 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4043 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4044 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4045 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4046 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4047 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is
4052 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4053 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4058 @node Scanning New Messages
4059 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4060 @cindex new messages
4061 @cindex scanning new news
4067 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4068 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4069 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4070 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4071 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4072 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4077 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4078 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4079 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4080 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4081 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4082 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4083 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4085 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4086 @cindex activating groups
4088 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4089 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4094 @findex gnus-group-restart
4095 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4096 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4097 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4101 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4102 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4104 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4105 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4109 @node Group Information
4110 @subsection Group Information
4111 @cindex group information
4112 @cindex information on groups
4119 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4120 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4123 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4124 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4125 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4126 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4127 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4128 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4129 for fetching the file.
4131 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4132 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4136 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4137 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4139 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4140 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4143 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4144 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4145 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4149 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4150 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4151 @cindex control message
4152 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4153 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4154 group if given a prefix argument.
4156 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4157 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4158 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4159 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4161 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4162 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4163 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4167 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4169 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4170 @cindex describing groups
4171 @cindex group description
4172 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4173 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4174 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4178 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4179 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4180 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4187 @findex gnus-version
4188 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4192 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4193 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4196 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4199 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4200 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4204 @node Group Timestamp
4205 @subsection Group Timestamp
4207 @cindex group timestamps
4209 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4210 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4211 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4214 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4217 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4219 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4220 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4223 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4224 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4227 This will result in lines looking like:
4230 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4231 0: custom 19961002T012713
4234 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4235 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4239 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4240 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4243 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4244 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4248 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4249 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4250 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4251 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4253 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4259 @subsection File Commands
4260 @cindex file commands
4266 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4267 @vindex gnus-init-file
4268 @cindex reading init file
4269 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4270 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4274 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4275 @cindex saving .newsrc
4276 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4277 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4278 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4281 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4282 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4283 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4288 @node Sieve Commands
4289 @subsection Sieve Commands
4290 @cindex group sieve commands
4292 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4293 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4294 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4295 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4296 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4298 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4299 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4300 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4301 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4302 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4303 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4304 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4305 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4306 regenerate the Sieve script.
4308 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4309 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4310 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4311 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4312 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4313 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4314 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4315 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4316 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4317 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4320 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4321 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4326 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4332 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4333 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4334 @cindex generating sieve script
4335 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4336 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4340 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4341 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4342 @cindex updating sieve script
4343 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4344 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4345 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4350 @node Summary Buffer
4351 @chapter Summary Buffer
4352 @cindex summary buffer
4354 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4355 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4357 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4358 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4360 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4363 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4364 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4365 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4366 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4367 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4368 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4369 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4370 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4371 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4372 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4373 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4374 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4375 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4376 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4377 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4378 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4379 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4380 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4381 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4382 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4383 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4384 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4385 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4386 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4387 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4388 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4389 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4390 or reselecting the current group.
4391 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4392 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4393 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4394 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4398 @node Summary Buffer Format
4399 @section Summary Buffer Format
4400 @cindex summary buffer format
4404 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4405 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4406 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4412 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4413 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4414 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4415 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4418 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4419 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4420 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4421 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4422 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4423 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4424 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4425 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4426 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4427 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4428 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4429 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4430 other function instead:
4433 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4434 'mail-extract-address-components)
4437 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4438 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4439 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4440 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4443 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4444 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4446 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4447 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4448 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4449 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4450 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4452 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4453 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4454 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4455 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4456 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4457 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4459 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4461 The following format specification characters and extended format
4462 specification(s) are understood:
4468 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4469 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4471 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4472 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4473 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4475 Full @code{From} header.
4477 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4479 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4482 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4483 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4484 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4485 may be more thorough.
4487 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4490 Number of lines in the article.
4492 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4493 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4495 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4496 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4498 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4500 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4501 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4514 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4515 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4516 replacing the default ASCII characters with graphic line-drawing
4519 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4520 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4521 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4522 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4524 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4525 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4526 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4527 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4529 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4530 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4531 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4533 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4534 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4535 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4537 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4538 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4539 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4541 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4542 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4543 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4548 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4549 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4551 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4552 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4554 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4555 for adopted articles.
4557 One space for each thread level.
4559 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4561 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4564 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4565 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4566 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4569 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4571 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4572 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4573 default level. If the difference between
4574 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4575 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4583 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4585 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4591 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4592 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4594 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4595 article has any children.
4601 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4602 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4604 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4605 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4606 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4607 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4608 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4609 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4612 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4613 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4614 There can only be one such area.
4616 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4617 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4618 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4619 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4620 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4621 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4623 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4624 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4626 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4629 @node To From Newsgroups
4630 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4634 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4635 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4636 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4637 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4638 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4642 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4643 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4644 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4648 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4649 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4652 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4653 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4656 @findex gnus-extra-header
4657 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4658 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4659 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4662 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4666 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4667 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4668 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4669 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4670 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4671 headers are used instead.
4675 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4676 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4677 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
4678 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4679 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4680 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4683 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4684 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4685 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4686 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4688 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4692 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4694 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4695 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4696 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4697 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4701 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4704 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4705 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4708 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4709 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4710 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4716 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4717 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4720 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4721 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4723 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4724 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4725 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4726 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4728 Here are the elements you can play with:
4734 Unprefixed group name.
4736 Current article number.
4738 Current article score.
4742 Number of unread articles in this group.
4744 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4747 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4748 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4749 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4750 and no unselected ones.
4752 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4753 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4755 Subject of the current article.
4757 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4759 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4761 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4763 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4765 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4767 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4771 @node Summary Highlighting
4772 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4776 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4777 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4778 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4779 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4780 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4782 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4783 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4784 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4785 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4787 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4788 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4789 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4790 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4792 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4793 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4794 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4795 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4796 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4797 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4800 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4801 ((> score default) . bold))
4803 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4804 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4808 @node Summary Maneuvering
4809 @section Summary Maneuvering
4810 @cindex summary movement
4812 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4813 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4815 None of these commands select articles.
4820 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4821 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4823 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4824 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4828 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4829 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4830 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4831 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4832 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4835 @kindex G g (Summary)
4836 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4837 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4838 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4841 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4842 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4843 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4844 to the group buffer.
4846 Variables related to summary movement:
4850 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4851 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4852 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4853 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4854 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4855 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4856 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4857 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4858 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4859 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4860 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4861 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4862 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4863 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4865 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4866 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4867 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4868 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4869 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4870 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4871 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4873 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4875 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4876 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4877 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4878 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4879 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4881 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4882 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4883 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4884 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4885 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4886 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4887 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4888 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4891 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4892 the given number of lines from the top.
4897 @node Choosing Articles
4898 @section Choosing Articles
4899 @cindex selecting articles
4902 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4903 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4907 @node Choosing Commands
4908 @subsection Choosing Commands
4910 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4911 and they all select and display an article.
4913 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4914 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4918 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4919 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4920 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4921 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4923 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4924 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4925 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4930 @kindex G n (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4932 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4933 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4938 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4940 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4945 @kindex G N (Summary)
4946 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4947 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4952 @kindex G P (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4954 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4957 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4958 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4959 Go to the next article with the same subject
4960 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4963 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4965 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4966 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4970 @kindex G f (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4973 Go to the first unread article
4974 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4978 @kindex G b (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4981 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4982 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4983 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4988 @kindex G l (Summary)
4989 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4990 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4993 @kindex G o (Summary)
4994 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4996 @cindex article history
4997 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4998 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4999 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5000 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5001 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5002 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5007 @kindex G j (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5009 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5010 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5015 @node Choosing Variables
5016 @subsection Choosing Variables
5018 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5021 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5022 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5023 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5024 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5025 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5026 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5028 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5029 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5030 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5031 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5032 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5033 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5035 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5036 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5037 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5038 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5039 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5040 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5041 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5042 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5043 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5044 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5045 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5046 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5047 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5048 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5053 @node Paging the Article
5054 @section Scrolling the Article
5055 @cindex article scrolling
5060 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5062 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5063 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5064 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5066 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5067 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5068 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5069 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5070 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5071 what is considered uninteresting with
5072 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5073 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5076 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5078 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5081 @kindex RET (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5083 Scroll the current article one line forward
5084 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5087 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5088 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5089 Scroll the current article one line backward
5090 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5094 @kindex A g (Summary)
5096 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5097 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5098 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5099 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5100 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5101 the way it came from the server.
5103 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5104 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5105 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5108 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5113 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5118 @kindex A < (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5120 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5121 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5126 @kindex A > (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5128 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5132 @kindex A s (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5135 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5140 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5141 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5146 @node Reply Followup and Post
5147 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5150 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5151 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5152 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5153 * Canceling and Superseding::
5157 @node Summary Mail Commands
5158 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5160 @cindex composing mail
5162 Commands for composing a mail message:
5168 @kindex S r (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5171 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5172 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5173 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5174 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5179 @kindex S R (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5181 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5182 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5183 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5184 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5187 @kindex S w (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5189 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5190 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5191 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5192 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5195 @kindex S W (Summary)
5196 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5197 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5198 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5199 the process/prefix convention.
5202 @kindex S v (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5204 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5205 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5206 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5207 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5208 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5211 @kindex S V (Summary)
5212 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5213 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5214 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5215 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5218 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5220 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5221 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5224 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5226 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5227 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5228 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5232 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5233 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5234 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5235 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5236 Forward the current article to some other person
5237 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5238 headers of the forwarded article.
5243 @kindex S m (Summary)
5244 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5245 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5246 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5247 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5248 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5253 @kindex S i (Summary)
5254 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5255 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5256 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5257 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5259 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5260 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5261 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5262 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5263 for this to work though.
5266 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5267 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5268 @cindex bouncing mail
5269 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5270 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5271 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5272 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5273 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5274 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5275 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5276 very well fail, though.
5279 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5280 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5281 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5282 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5283 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5284 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5285 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5286 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5287 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5288 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5290 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5291 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5292 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5293 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5294 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5296 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5297 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5300 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5302 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5303 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5304 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5307 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5309 @cindex crossposting
5310 @cindex excessive crossposting
5311 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5312 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5314 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5315 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5316 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5317 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5318 command understands the process/prefix convention
5319 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5323 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5324 Manual}, for more information.
5327 @node Summary Post Commands
5328 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5330 @cindex composing news
5332 Commands for posting a news article:
5338 @kindex S p (Summary)
5339 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5341 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5342 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5343 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5348 @kindex S f (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5350 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5351 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5355 @kindex S F (Summary)
5357 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5358 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5359 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5360 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5361 process/prefix convention.
5364 @kindex S n (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5366 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5367 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5370 @kindex S N (Summary)
5371 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5372 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5373 message through mail and include the original message
5374 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5375 the process/prefix convention.
5378 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5379 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5380 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5381 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5382 headers of the forwarded article.
5385 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5386 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5388 @cindex making digests
5389 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5390 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5391 process/prefix convention.
5394 @kindex S u (Summary)
5395 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5396 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5397 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5398 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5401 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5402 Manual}, for more information.
5405 @node Summary Message Commands
5406 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5410 @kindex S y (Summary)
5411 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5412 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5413 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5414 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5415 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5420 @node Canceling and Superseding
5421 @subsection Canceling Articles
5422 @cindex canceling articles
5423 @cindex superseding articles
5425 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5426 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5428 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5430 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5432 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5433 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5434 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5435 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5436 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5437 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5439 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5440 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5443 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5444 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5445 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5447 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5448 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5449 your original article.
5451 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5453 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5454 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5455 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5458 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5459 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5460 have posted almost the same article twice.
5462 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5463 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5464 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5465 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5466 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5467 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5468 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5469 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5470 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5471 canceled/superseded.
5473 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5475 @node Delayed Articles
5476 @section Delayed Articles
5477 @cindex delayed sending
5478 @cindex send delayed
5480 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5481 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5482 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5483 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5486 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5489 @findex gnus-delay-article
5490 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5491 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5492 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5493 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5497 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5498 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5499 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5500 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5503 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5504 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5505 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5508 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5509 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5510 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5511 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5512 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5513 that means a time tomorrow.
5516 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5517 couple of variables:
5520 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5521 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5522 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5523 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5525 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5526 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5527 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5528 formats described above.
5530 @item gnus-delay-group
5531 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5532 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5533 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5534 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5536 @item gnus-delay-header
5537 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5538 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5539 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5540 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5543 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5544 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5545 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5546 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5547 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5549 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5550 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5551 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5552 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5553 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5554 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5555 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5558 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5559 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5561 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5562 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5563 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5564 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5565 argument is ignored.
5567 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5568 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5569 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5573 @node Marking Articles
5574 @section Marking Articles
5575 @cindex article marking
5576 @cindex article ticking
5579 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5581 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5582 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5583 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5585 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5588 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5589 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5590 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5594 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5598 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5599 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5600 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5604 @node Unread Articles
5605 @subsection Unread Articles
5607 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5612 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5613 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5615 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5616 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5617 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5618 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5619 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5620 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5621 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5624 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5625 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5627 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5628 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5629 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5630 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5634 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5635 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5637 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5642 @subsection Read Articles
5643 @cindex expirable mark
5645 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5650 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5651 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5652 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5655 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5656 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5659 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5660 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5661 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5664 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5665 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5668 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5669 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5672 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5673 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5676 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5677 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5680 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5681 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5684 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5685 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5688 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5689 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5693 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5694 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5695 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5699 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5700 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5702 One more special mark, though:
5706 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5707 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5709 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5710 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5711 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5712 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5718 @subsection Other Marks
5719 @cindex process mark
5722 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5728 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5729 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5730 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5731 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5732 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5735 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5736 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5737 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5738 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5741 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5742 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5743 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5746 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5747 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5748 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5751 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5752 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5753 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5754 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5757 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5758 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5759 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5760 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5761 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5762 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5765 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5766 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5767 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5768 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5771 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5772 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5773 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5774 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5775 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5779 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5780 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5781 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5782 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5783 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5784 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5787 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5788 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5789 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5790 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5791 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5792 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5796 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5797 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5798 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5799 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5800 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5803 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5804 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5805 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5806 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5807 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5808 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5812 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5813 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5814 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5816 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5817 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5818 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5822 @subsection Setting Marks
5823 @cindex setting marks
5825 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5830 @kindex M c (Summary)
5831 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5832 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5833 @cindex mark as unread
5834 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5841 @kindex M t (Summary)
5842 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5843 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5844 @xref{Article Caching}.
5849 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5850 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5851 Mark the current article as dormant
5852 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5856 @kindex M d (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5859 Mark the current article as read
5860 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5864 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5865 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5866 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5871 @kindex M k (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5873 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5874 and then select the next unread article
5875 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5879 @kindex M K (Summary)
5880 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5882 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5883 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5886 @kindex M C (Summary)
5887 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5888 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5889 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5892 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5893 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5894 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5895 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5898 @kindex M H (Summary)
5899 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5900 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5901 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5904 @kindex M h (Summary)
5905 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5906 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5907 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5910 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5911 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5912 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5913 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5916 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5918 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5919 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5923 @kindex M e (Summary)
5925 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5926 Mark the current article as expirable
5927 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5930 @kindex M b (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5932 Set a bookmark in the current article
5933 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5936 @kindex M B (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5938 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5942 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5944 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5945 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5948 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5950 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5951 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5954 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5956 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5957 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5958 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5961 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5962 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5963 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5964 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5965 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5966 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5967 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5968 The default is @code{t}.
5971 @node Generic Marking Commands
5972 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5974 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5975 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5976 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5977 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5978 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5981 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5982 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5985 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5986 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5987 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5988 to list in this manual.
5990 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5991 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5992 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5993 article, you could say something like:
5996 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5997 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5998 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6004 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6005 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6009 @node Setting Process Marks
6010 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6011 @cindex setting process marks
6013 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6014 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6015 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6016 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6017 commands into the cache. For more information,
6018 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6025 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6026 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6027 Mark the current article with the process mark
6028 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6029 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6033 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6034 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6035 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6039 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6041 Remove the process mark from all articles
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6045 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6047 Invert the list of process marked articles
6048 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6051 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6053 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6054 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6057 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6059 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6060 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6063 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6064 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6065 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6069 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6070 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6073 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6075 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6076 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6079 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6081 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6082 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6085 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6086 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6087 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6088 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6091 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6092 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6093 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6096 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6098 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6099 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6102 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6103 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6104 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6107 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6108 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6109 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6110 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6113 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6114 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6115 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6116 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6119 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6120 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6121 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6122 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6125 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6126 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6127 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6128 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6132 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6133 set process marks based on article body contents.
6140 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6141 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6142 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6145 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6146 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6147 additional articles.
6153 @kindex / / (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6155 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6156 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6160 @kindex / a (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6162 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6167 @kindex / x (Summary)
6168 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6169 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6170 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6171 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6176 @kindex / u (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6179 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6180 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6181 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6182 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6185 @kindex / m (Summary)
6186 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6187 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6188 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6191 @kindex / t (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6193 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6194 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6195 articles younger than that number of days.
6198 @kindex / n (Summary)
6199 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6200 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6201 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6202 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6205 @kindex / w (Summary)
6206 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6207 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6208 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6212 @kindex / . (Summary)
6213 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6214 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6215 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6218 @kindex / v (Summary)
6219 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6220 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6221 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6224 @kindex / p (Summary)
6225 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6226 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6227 group parameter predicate
6228 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6229 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6233 @kindex M S (Summary)
6234 @kindex / E (Summary)
6235 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6236 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6237 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6240 @kindex / D (Summary)
6241 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6242 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6243 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6246 @kindex / * (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6248 Include all cached articles in the limit
6249 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6252 @kindex / d (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6254 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6255 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6258 @kindex / M (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6260 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6263 @kindex / T (Summary)
6264 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6265 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6268 @kindex / c (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6270 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6271 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6274 @kindex / C (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6276 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6277 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6278 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6281 @kindex / N (Summary)
6282 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6283 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6284 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6287 @kindex / o (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6289 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6290 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6298 @cindex article threading
6300 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6301 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6302 hierarchical fashion.
6304 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6305 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6306 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6307 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6308 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6309 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6310 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6312 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6316 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6319 A tree-like article structure.
6322 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6325 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6326 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6327 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6328 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6329 called loose threads.
6331 @item thread gathering
6332 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6334 @item sparse threads
6335 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6336 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6342 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6343 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6347 @node Customizing Threading
6348 @subsection Customizing Threading
6349 @cindex customizing threading
6352 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6353 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6354 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6355 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6360 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6363 @cindex loose threads
6366 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6367 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6368 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6369 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6370 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6371 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6373 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6374 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6375 There are four possible values:
6379 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6380 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6381 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6382 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6383 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6388 @cindex adopting articles
6393 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6394 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6395 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6396 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6399 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6400 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6401 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6402 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6403 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6404 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6405 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6406 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6407 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6408 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6411 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6412 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6413 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6417 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6418 display them after one another.
6421 Don't gather loose threads.
6424 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6425 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6426 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6427 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6428 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6429 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6430 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6431 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6432 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6433 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6434 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6436 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6437 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6438 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6441 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6442 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6443 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6444 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6445 simplification is used.
6447 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6448 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6449 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6450 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6452 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6454 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6460 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6461 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6462 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6463 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6468 (mapconcat 'identity
6469 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6471 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6474 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6477 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6478 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6479 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6480 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6481 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6482 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6484 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6487 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6488 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6489 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6491 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6492 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6495 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6496 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6497 Remove excessive whitespace.
6499 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6500 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6501 Remove all whitespace.
6504 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6507 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6508 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6509 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6510 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6511 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6512 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6513 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6514 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6516 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6517 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6518 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6519 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6520 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6521 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6522 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6523 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6524 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6528 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6529 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6530 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6531 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6533 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6534 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6535 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6538 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6542 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6543 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6549 @node Filling In Threads
6550 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6553 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6554 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6555 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6556 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6557 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6558 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6559 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6560 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6561 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6562 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6563 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6564 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6567 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6568 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6569 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6571 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6572 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6573 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6574 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6575 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6576 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6577 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6578 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6579 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6580 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6581 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6582 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6583 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6584 @code{nil} by default.
6586 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6587 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6588 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6589 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6590 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6591 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6592 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6594 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6595 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6596 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6601 @node More Threading
6602 @subsubsection More Threading
6605 @item gnus-show-threads
6606 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6607 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6608 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6609 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6610 slower and more awkward.
6612 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6613 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6614 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6617 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6618 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6619 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6624 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6625 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6626 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6629 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6630 unread, but you get my drift.)
6633 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6634 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6635 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6636 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6637 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6638 threads are expunged.
6640 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6641 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6642 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6645 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6646 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6647 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6648 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6649 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6650 result in a new thread.
6652 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6653 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6654 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6657 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6658 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6659 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6660 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6661 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6662 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6663 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6664 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6665 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6666 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6667 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6672 @node Low-Level Threading
6673 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6677 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6678 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6679 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6680 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6681 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6682 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6684 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6685 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6686 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6687 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6688 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6689 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6690 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6691 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6692 meaningful. Here's one example:
6695 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6697 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6698 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6700 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6702 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6709 @node Thread Commands
6710 @subsection Thread Commands
6711 @cindex thread commands
6717 @kindex T k (Summary)
6718 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6720 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6721 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6722 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6727 @kindex T l (Summary)
6728 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6730 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6731 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6734 @kindex T i (Summary)
6735 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6736 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6737 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6740 @kindex T # (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6742 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6743 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6746 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6747 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6748 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6749 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6752 @kindex T T (Summary)
6753 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6754 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6757 @kindex T s (Summary)
6758 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6759 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6760 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6763 @kindex T h (Summary)
6764 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6765 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6768 @kindex T S (Summary)
6769 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6770 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6773 @kindex T H (Summary)
6774 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6775 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6778 @kindex T t (Summary)
6779 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6780 Re-thread the current article's thread
6781 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6782 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6785 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6786 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6787 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6788 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6792 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6793 understand the numeric prefix.
6798 @kindex T n (Summary)
6800 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6802 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6803 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6804 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6807 @kindex T p (Summary)
6809 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6811 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6812 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6813 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6816 @kindex T d (Summary)
6817 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6818 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6821 @kindex T u (Summary)
6822 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6823 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6826 @kindex T o (Summary)
6827 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6828 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6831 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6832 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6833 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6834 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6835 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6836 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6837 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6838 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6839 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6840 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6841 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6842 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6846 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6847 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6849 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6850 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6851 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6852 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6853 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6854 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6855 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6856 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6857 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6858 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6859 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6860 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6861 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6863 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6864 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6865 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6866 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6867 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6868 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6869 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6870 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6872 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6873 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6874 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6876 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6877 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6878 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6879 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6880 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6881 ascending article order.
6883 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6884 by number, you could do something like:
6887 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6888 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6889 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6890 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6893 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6894 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6895 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6896 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6897 which the articles arrived.
6899 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6903 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6905 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6906 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6909 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6910 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6911 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6912 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6915 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6916 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6917 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6918 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6919 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6920 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6921 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6922 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6923 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6924 variable. It is very similar to the
6925 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6926 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6927 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6928 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6929 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6930 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6931 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6933 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6937 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6938 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6939 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6944 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6945 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6946 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6947 @cindex article pre-fetch
6950 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6951 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6952 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6953 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6954 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6956 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6957 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6959 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6960 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6961 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6962 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6963 connection is blocked.
6965 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6966 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6967 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6968 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6970 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6971 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6972 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6973 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6976 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
6979 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6980 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6981 happen automatically.
6983 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6984 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6985 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6986 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6987 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6988 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6989 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6991 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6992 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6993 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6994 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
6995 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
6996 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
6997 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
6998 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
6999 article data structure as the only parameter.
7001 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7002 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7005 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7006 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7007 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7008 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7011 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7014 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7015 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7016 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7018 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7019 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7020 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7021 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7025 Remove articles when they are read.
7028 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7031 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7033 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7034 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7035 @c from the next group.
7038 @node Article Caching
7039 @section Article Caching
7040 @cindex article caching
7043 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
7044 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7045 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7046 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7047 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7049 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7051 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7052 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7053 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7054 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7055 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7056 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7057 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7058 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7060 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7061 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7062 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7063 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7064 as dormant, and don't worry.
7066 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7068 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7069 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7070 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7071 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7072 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7073 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7074 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7075 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7076 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7077 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7079 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7080 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7081 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7082 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7083 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7084 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7085 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7086 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7087 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7088 not then be downloaded by this command.
7090 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7091 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7092 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7093 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7094 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7095 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7097 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7098 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7099 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7100 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7101 variables, the group is not cached.
7103 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7104 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7105 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7106 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7107 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7108 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7109 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7110 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7111 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7114 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7115 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7116 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7117 where, isn't that cool?
7119 @node Persistent Articles
7120 @section Persistent Articles
7121 @cindex persistent articles
7123 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7124 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7125 useful in my opinion.
7127 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7128 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7129 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7130 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7131 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7132 the expiry going on at the news server.
7134 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7135 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7136 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7142 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7143 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7146 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7147 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7148 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7149 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7153 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7155 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7156 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7157 interested in persistent articles:
7160 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7164 @node Article Backlog
7165 @section Article Backlog
7167 @cindex article backlog
7169 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7170 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7171 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7172 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7173 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7174 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7175 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7176 increase memory usage some.
7178 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7179 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7180 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7181 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7182 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7183 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7184 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7186 The default value is 20.
7189 @node Saving Articles
7190 @section Saving Articles
7191 @cindex saving articles
7193 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7194 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7195 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7196 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7197 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7199 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7200 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7201 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7203 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7204 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7205 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7207 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7208 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7209 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7210 deleted before saving.
7216 @kindex O o (Summary)
7218 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7219 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7220 Save the current article using the default article saver
7221 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7224 @kindex O m (Summary)
7225 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7226 Save the current article in mail format
7227 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7230 @kindex O r (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7232 Save the current article in rmail format
7233 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7236 @kindex O f (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7238 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7239 Save the current article in plain file format
7240 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7243 @kindex O F (Summary)
7244 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7245 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7246 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7249 @kindex O b (Summary)
7250 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7251 Save the current article body in plain file format
7252 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7255 @kindex O h (Summary)
7256 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7257 Save the current article in mh folder format
7258 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7261 @kindex O v (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7263 Save the current article in a VM folder
7264 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7268 @kindex O p (Summary)
7270 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7271 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7272 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7273 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7274 complete headers in the piped output.
7277 @kindex O P (Summary)
7278 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7279 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7280 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7281 external program Muttprint (see
7282 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7283 options to use is controlled by the variable
7284 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7288 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7289 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7290 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7291 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7292 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7293 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7294 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7295 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7296 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7297 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7298 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7299 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7303 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7304 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7305 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7306 functions below, or you can create your own.
7310 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7311 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7312 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7313 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7314 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7315 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7316 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7318 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7319 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7320 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7321 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7322 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7323 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7325 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7326 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7327 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7328 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7329 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7330 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7331 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7333 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7334 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7335 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7336 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7337 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7338 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7340 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7341 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7342 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7343 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7344 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7346 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7347 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7348 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7349 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7350 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7353 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7354 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7355 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7356 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7357 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7359 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7360 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7361 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7362 reader to use this setting.
7365 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7366 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7367 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7368 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7371 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7372 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7373 available functions that generate names:
7377 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7378 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7379 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7381 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7382 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7383 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7385 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7386 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7387 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7389 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7390 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7391 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7393 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7394 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7395 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7398 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7399 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7400 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7401 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7402 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7406 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7407 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7408 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7409 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7412 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7413 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7414 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7415 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7416 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7417 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7418 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7419 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7420 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7422 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7423 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7424 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7425 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7427 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7428 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7429 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7432 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7433 lots of mail groups called things like
7434 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7435 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7436 following will do just that:
7439 (defun my-save-name (group)
7440 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7441 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7443 (setq gnus-split-methods
7444 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7449 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7450 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7451 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7452 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7453 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7454 all the files in the top level directory
7455 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7456 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7457 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7458 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7460 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7461 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7462 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7463 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7464 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7467 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7471 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7472 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7473 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7476 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7477 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7478 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7479 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7482 @node Decoding Articles
7483 @section Decoding Articles
7484 @cindex decoding articles
7486 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7487 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7490 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7491 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7492 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7493 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7494 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7495 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7499 @cindex article series
7500 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7501 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7502 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7503 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7504 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7506 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7507 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7508 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7510 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7511 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7512 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7514 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7515 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7516 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7519 @node Uuencoded Articles
7520 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7522 @cindex uuencoded articles
7527 @kindex X u (Summary)
7528 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7529 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7530 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7533 @kindex X U (Summary)
7534 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7535 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7536 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7539 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7540 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7541 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7544 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7545 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7546 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7547 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7551 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7552 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7553 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7554 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7555 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7557 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7558 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7559 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7560 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7563 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7564 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7565 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7566 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7567 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7568 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7572 @node Shell Archives
7573 @subsection Shell Archives
7575 @cindex shell archives
7576 @cindex shared articles
7578 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7579 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7580 some commands to deal with these:
7585 @kindex X s (Summary)
7586 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7587 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7590 @kindex X S (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7592 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7595 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7597 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7600 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7601 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7602 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7603 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7607 @node PostScript Files
7608 @subsection PostScript Files
7614 @kindex X p (Summary)
7615 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7616 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7619 @kindex X P (Summary)
7620 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7621 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7622 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7625 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7626 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7627 View the current PostScript series
7628 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7631 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7632 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7633 View and save the current PostScript series
7634 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7639 @subsection Other Files
7643 @kindex X o (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7645 Save the current series
7646 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7649 @kindex X b (Summary)
7650 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7651 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7652 doesn't really work yet.
7656 @node Decoding Variables
7657 @subsection Decoding Variables
7659 Adjective, not verb.
7662 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7663 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7664 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7668 @node Rule Variables
7669 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7670 @cindex rule variables
7672 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7673 variables are of the form
7676 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7683 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7684 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7686 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7687 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7690 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7691 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7694 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7695 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7696 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7697 user and default view rules.
7699 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7700 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7701 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7706 @node Other Decode Variables
7707 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7710 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7712 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7713 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7714 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7715 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7716 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7720 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7721 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7724 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7725 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7726 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7729 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7730 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7731 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7732 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7733 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7736 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7737 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7738 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7740 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7741 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7742 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7743 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7744 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7747 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7748 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7749 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7751 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7752 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7753 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7754 looking for files to display.
7756 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7757 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7758 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7761 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7762 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7763 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7766 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7767 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7768 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7771 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7772 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7773 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7776 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7777 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7778 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7779 decoded articles as unread.
7781 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7782 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7783 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7784 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7786 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7787 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7788 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7790 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7791 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7793 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7794 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7795 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7796 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7798 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7799 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7800 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7801 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7802 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7803 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7804 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7805 simply dropped them.
7810 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7811 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7815 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7816 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7817 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7818 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7819 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7820 for you when you post the article.
7822 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7823 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7824 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7825 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7827 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7828 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7829 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7830 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7831 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7832 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7833 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7835 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7836 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7837 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7838 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7839 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7840 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7841 Default is @code{t}.
7847 @subsection Viewing Files
7848 @cindex viewing files
7849 @cindex pseudo-articles
7851 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7852 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7853 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7854 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7855 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7856 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7857 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7859 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7860 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7861 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7862 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7864 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7865 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7866 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7868 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7869 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7870 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7871 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7872 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7874 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7875 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7876 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7877 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7878 a list of parameters to that command.
7880 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7881 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7882 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7884 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7885 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7886 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7889 @node Article Treatment
7890 @section Article Treatment
7892 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7893 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7894 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7895 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7896 these articles easier.
7899 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7900 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7901 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7902 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7903 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7904 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7905 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7906 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7907 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7908 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7912 @node Article Highlighting
7913 @subsection Article Highlighting
7914 @cindex highlighting
7916 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7917 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7922 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7924 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7925 Do much highlighting of the current article
7926 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7927 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7930 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7931 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7932 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7933 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7934 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7935 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7936 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7937 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7938 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7939 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7940 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7941 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7944 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7945 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7946 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7948 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7951 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7953 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7954 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7955 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7957 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7958 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7959 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7961 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7962 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7963 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7964 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7965 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7966 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7968 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7969 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7970 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7972 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7973 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7974 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7976 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7977 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7978 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7979 that it's a citation.
7981 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7982 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7983 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7985 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7986 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7987 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7989 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7990 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7991 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7992 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7998 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7999 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8000 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8001 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8002 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8003 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8004 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8005 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8010 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8013 @node Article Fontisizing
8014 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8016 @cindex article emphasis
8018 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8019 @kindex W e (Summary)
8020 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8021 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8022 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8023 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8025 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8026 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8027 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8028 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8029 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8030 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8031 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8032 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8036 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8037 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8038 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8047 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8048 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8049 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8050 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8051 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8052 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8053 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8054 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8055 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8056 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8057 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8058 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8059 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8061 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8062 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8063 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8067 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8070 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8072 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8073 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8074 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8075 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8077 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8080 @node Article Hiding
8081 @subsection Article Hiding
8082 @cindex article hiding
8084 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8085 too much cruft in most articles.
8090 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-article-hide
8092 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8093 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8094 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8097 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8098 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8099 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8103 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8104 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8105 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8106 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8109 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8110 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8111 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8115 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8116 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8117 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8118 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8119 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8120 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8121 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8122 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8126 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8127 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8128 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8129 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8134 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8135 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8136 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8137 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8140 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8141 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8142 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8143 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8146 @cindex stripping advertisements
8147 @cindex advertisements
8148 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8149 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8150 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8151 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8152 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8153 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8154 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8155 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8156 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8157 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8160 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8161 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8162 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8166 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8167 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8168 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8169 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8170 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8171 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8172 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8173 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8174 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8175 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8176 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8179 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8185 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8186 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8187 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8188 customizing the hiding:
8192 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8193 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8194 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8195 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8196 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8197 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8198 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8203 Starting point of the hidden text.
8205 Ending point of the hidden text.
8207 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8209 Number of lines of hidden text.
8212 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8213 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8214 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8215 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8216 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8221 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8224 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8225 following two variables:
8228 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8229 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8230 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8231 50), hide the cited text.
8233 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8234 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8235 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8240 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8242 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8243 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8244 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8245 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8249 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8250 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8251 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8253 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8254 citation customization.
8256 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8260 @node Article Washing
8261 @subsection Article Washing
8263 @cindex article washing
8265 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8266 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8268 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8269 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8272 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8273 articles by default.
8278 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8279 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8283 Force redisplaying of the current article
8284 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8285 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8286 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8287 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8290 @kindex W l (Summary)
8291 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8292 Remove page breaks from the current article
8293 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8297 @kindex W r (Summary)
8298 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8299 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8300 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8301 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8302 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8303 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8305 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8306 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8307 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8308 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8311 @kindex W m (Summary)
8312 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8313 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8317 @kindex W t (Summary)
8319 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8320 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8321 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8324 @kindex W v (Summary)
8325 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8326 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8327 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8330 @kindex W m (Summary)
8331 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8332 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8333 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8336 @kindex W o (Summary)
8337 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8338 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8341 @kindex W d (Summary)
8342 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8343 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8345 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8347 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8348 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8349 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8350 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8353 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8354 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8355 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8356 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8359 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8360 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8361 @cindex Outlook Express
8362 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8363 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8364 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8367 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8368 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8369 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8370 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8371 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8372 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8373 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8374 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8375 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8376 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8379 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8380 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8381 Repair a broken attribution line.
8382 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8385 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8386 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8387 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8388 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8391 @kindex W w (Summary)
8392 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8393 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8395 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8399 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8400 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8401 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8404 @kindex W C (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8406 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8407 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8410 @kindex W c (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8412 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8413 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8414 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8415 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8418 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8420 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8421 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8422 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8423 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8424 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8426 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8429 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8431 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8432 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8433 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8436 @kindex W u (Summary)
8437 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8438 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8439 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8440 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8441 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8444 @kindex W h (Summary)
8445 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8446 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8447 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8448 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8450 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8452 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8453 The default is to use the function specified by
8454 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8455 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8456 @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8457 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8465 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8469 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8472 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8475 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8480 @kindex W b (Summary)
8481 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8482 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8483 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8486 @kindex W B (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8488 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8489 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8492 @kindex W p (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8494 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8495 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8496 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8497 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8498 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8499 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8502 @kindex W s (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8504 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8505 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8508 @kindex W a (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8510 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8511 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8514 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8516 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8517 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8520 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8522 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8523 lines with a single empty line.
8524 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8527 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8528 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8529 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8530 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8533 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8534 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8535 Do all the three commands above
8536 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8539 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8541 Remove all blank lines
8542 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8545 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8547 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8548 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8551 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8552 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8553 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8554 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8558 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8561 @node Article Header
8562 @subsection Article Header
8564 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8569 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8570 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8571 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8574 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8576 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8577 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8580 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8581 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8582 Fold all the message headers
8583 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8587 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8588 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8589 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8594 @node Article Buttons
8595 @subsection Article Buttons
8598 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8599 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8600 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8601 button on these references.
8603 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8604 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8605 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8606 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8607 one that handles article heads:
8611 @item gnus-button-alist
8612 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8613 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8616 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8622 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8623 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8624 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8625 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8626 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8629 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8630 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8631 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8634 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8635 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8636 avoid false matches.
8639 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8642 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8643 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8647 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8650 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8653 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8654 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8655 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8656 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8657 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8660 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8663 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8665 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8666 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8667 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8668 default values of the variables above.
8670 @item gnus-article-button-face
8671 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8672 Face used on buttons.
8674 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8675 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8676 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8680 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8684 @subsection Article Date
8686 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8687 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8688 when the article was sent.
8693 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8694 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8695 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8696 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8699 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8700 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8702 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8703 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8706 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8707 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8708 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8711 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8713 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8714 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8717 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8718 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8719 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8720 @findex format-time-string
8721 Display the date using a user-defined format
8722 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8723 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8724 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8725 for a list of possible format specs.
8728 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8729 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8730 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8731 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8732 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8733 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8736 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8739 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8740 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8741 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8744 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8745 into wonderful absurdities.
8747 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8750 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8753 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8754 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8758 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8759 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8760 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8761 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8762 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8763 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8764 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8768 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8769 preferred format automatically.
8772 @node Article Display
8773 @subsection Article Display
8778 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8779 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8781 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8782 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8784 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8785 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8787 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8788 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8790 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8795 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8796 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8797 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8798 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8801 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8802 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8803 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8804 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8807 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8808 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8809 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8812 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8813 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8814 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8817 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8818 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8819 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8820 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8823 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8824 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8825 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8826 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8829 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8830 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8831 Remove all images from the article buffer
8832 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8838 @node Article Signature
8839 @subsection Article Signature
8841 @cindex article signature
8843 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8844 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8845 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8846 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8847 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8848 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8849 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8850 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8851 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8854 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8855 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8856 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8857 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8858 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8859 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8860 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8861 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8864 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8867 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8868 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8869 signature when displaying articles.
8873 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8876 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8879 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8880 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8882 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8883 in question is not a signature.
8886 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8887 listed above. Here's an example:
8890 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8891 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8894 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8895 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8896 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8897 signature after all.
8900 @node Article Miscellania
8901 @subsection Article Miscellania
8905 @kindex A t (Summary)
8906 @findex gnus-article-babel
8907 Translate the article from one language to another
8908 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8914 @section MIME Commands
8915 @cindex MIME decoding
8917 @cindex viewing attachments
8919 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8920 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8926 @kindex K v (Summary)
8927 View the @sc{mime} part.
8930 @kindex K o (Summary)
8931 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8934 @kindex K c (Summary)
8935 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8938 @kindex K e (Summary)
8939 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8942 @kindex K i (Summary)
8943 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8946 @kindex K | (Summary)
8947 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8950 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8955 @kindex K b (Summary)
8956 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8957 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8961 @kindex K m (Summary)
8962 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8963 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8964 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8965 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8966 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8969 @kindex X m (Summary)
8970 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8971 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8972 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8973 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8976 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8978 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8979 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8982 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8983 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8984 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8985 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8988 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8990 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8991 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8993 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8994 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8995 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8996 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8997 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8998 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9001 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9002 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9003 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
9004 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9011 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9012 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9013 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9014 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9017 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9020 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9024 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9025 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9026 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9027 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
9028 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9029 default is @code{nil}.
9031 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9032 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9033 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
9034 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9035 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9036 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9037 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9039 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9040 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9041 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9042 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9043 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9044 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9045 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9046 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
9048 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9049 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9050 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9051 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9052 displayed. This variable overrides
9053 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9054 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9057 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9058 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9059 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9061 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9062 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9063 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
9064 value is @code{nil}.
9066 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9067 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9068 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9069 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9070 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9071 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9072 save all jpegs into some directory).
9074 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9077 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9078 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9080 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9081 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9082 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9083 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9084 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9087 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9088 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9089 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9091 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9092 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9093 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9094 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9096 Ready-made functions include@*
9097 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9098 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9099 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9100 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9101 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9102 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9103 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9104 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9105 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9106 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9107 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9108 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9110 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9111 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9113 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9114 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9115 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9118 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9119 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9120 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9121 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9125 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9134 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9135 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9136 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9137 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9138 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9139 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9140 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9142 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9143 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9144 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9145 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9147 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9148 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9149 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9150 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9151 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9152 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9153 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9154 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9155 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9157 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9158 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9159 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9160 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9161 quoted-printable header encoding.
9163 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9164 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9165 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9169 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9172 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9173 means encode all charsets),
9175 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9176 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9177 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9184 @cindex coding system aliases
9185 @cindex preferred charset
9187 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9189 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9190 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9193 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9194 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9197 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9198 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9200 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9203 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9206 This will almost do the right thing.
9208 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9212 (codepage-setup 1251)
9213 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9217 @node Article Commands
9218 @section Article Commands
9225 @kindex A P (Summary)
9226 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9227 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9228 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9229 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9230 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9231 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9236 @node Summary Sorting
9237 @section Summary Sorting
9238 @cindex summary sorting
9240 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9241 can't really see why you'd want that.
9246 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9247 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9248 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9251 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9252 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9253 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9256 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9257 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9258 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9261 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9262 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9263 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9266 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9267 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9268 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9271 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9272 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9273 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9276 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9277 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9278 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9281 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9282 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9283 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9286 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9287 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9288 Sort using the default sorting method
9289 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9292 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9293 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9294 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9295 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9296 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9300 @node Finding the Parent
9301 @section Finding the Parent
9302 @cindex parent articles
9303 @cindex referring articles
9308 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9309 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9310 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9311 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9312 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9313 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9314 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9315 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9316 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9318 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9319 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9320 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9321 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9322 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9326 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9327 @kindex A R (Summary)
9328 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9329 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9332 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9333 @kindex A T (Summary)
9334 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9335 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9336 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9337 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9338 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9339 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9340 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9342 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9343 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9344 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9345 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9346 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9347 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9350 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9351 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9353 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9354 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9355 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9356 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9357 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9358 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9359 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9362 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9363 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9364 by giving this command a prefix.
9366 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9367 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9368 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9369 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9370 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9371 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9374 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9375 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9376 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9379 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9380 then ask Google if that fails:
9383 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9385 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9388 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9389 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9390 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9391 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9392 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9393 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9394 support this at all.
9397 @node Alternative Approaches
9398 @section Alternative Approaches
9400 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9401 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9404 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9405 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9410 @subsection Pick and Read
9411 @cindex pick and read
9413 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9414 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9415 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9416 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9418 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9419 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9420 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9421 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9422 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9423 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9425 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9430 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9431 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9432 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9433 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9434 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9435 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9436 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9437 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9440 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9441 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9442 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9443 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9447 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9448 Unpick the thread or article
9449 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9450 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9451 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9452 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9453 the thread or article at that line.
9457 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9458 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9459 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9460 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9461 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9462 will still be visible when you are reading.
9466 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9467 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9468 which is mapped to the same function
9469 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9471 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9474 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9477 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9478 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9480 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9481 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9482 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9484 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9485 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9486 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9487 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9488 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9489 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9490 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9494 @subsection Binary Groups
9495 @cindex binary groups
9497 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9498 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9499 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9500 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9501 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9502 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9503 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9506 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9507 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9508 command, when you have turned on this mode
9509 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9511 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9512 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9516 @section Tree Display
9519 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9520 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9521 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9522 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9525 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9528 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9529 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9530 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9532 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9533 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9534 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9535 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9536 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9538 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9539 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9540 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9541 default is @code{modeline}.
9543 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9544 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9545 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9546 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9547 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9548 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9549 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9555 The name of the poster.
9557 The @code{From} header.
9559 The number of the article.
9561 The opening bracket.
9563 The closing bracket.
9568 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9570 Variables related to the display are:
9573 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9574 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9575 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9576 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9577 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9578 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9580 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9581 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9582 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9583 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9587 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9588 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9589 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9590 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9591 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9592 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9593 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9594 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9595 other windows displayed next to it.
9597 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9601 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9602 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9605 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9606 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9607 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9608 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9609 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9610 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9611 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9615 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9618 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9628 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9632 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9633 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9635 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9637 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9642 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9643 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9644 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9647 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9648 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9649 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9650 (gnus-add-configuration
9654 (summary 0.75 point)
9659 @xref{Window Layout}.
9662 @node Mail Group Commands
9663 @section Mail Group Commands
9664 @cindex mail group commands
9666 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9667 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9669 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9670 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9675 @kindex B e (Summary)
9676 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9677 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9678 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9679 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9680 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9683 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9684 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9685 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9686 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9687 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9688 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9691 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9692 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9693 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9694 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9695 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9696 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9699 @kindex B m (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9702 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9703 Move the article from one mail group to another
9704 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9705 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9708 @kindex B c (Summary)
9710 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9711 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9712 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9713 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9714 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9717 @kindex B B (Summary)
9718 @cindex crosspost mail
9719 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9720 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9721 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9722 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9723 be properly updated.
9726 @kindex B i (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9728 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9729 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9730 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9733 @kindex B I (Summary)
9734 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9735 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9736 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9737 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9740 @kindex B r (Summary)
9741 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9742 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9743 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9744 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9745 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9746 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9747 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9748 (which is the default).
9752 @kindex B w (Summary)
9754 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9755 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9756 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9757 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9758 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9759 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9760 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9763 @kindex B q (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9765 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9766 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9767 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9770 @kindex B t (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9772 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9773 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9776 @kindex B p (Summary)
9777 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9778 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
9779 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9780 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9781 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9782 article from your news server (or rather, from
9783 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9784 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9785 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9786 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9787 just not have arrived yet.
9790 @kindex K E (Summary)
9791 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9792 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9793 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9794 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9795 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9799 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9800 @cindex moving articles
9801 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9802 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9803 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9804 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9805 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9806 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9807 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9810 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9811 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9812 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9813 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9817 @node Various Summary Stuff
9818 @section Various Summary Stuff
9821 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9822 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9823 * Summary Generation Commands::
9824 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9828 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
9829 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
9830 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
9831 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
9832 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
9833 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
9835 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9836 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9837 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9839 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9840 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9841 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9842 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9843 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9844 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9847 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9848 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9849 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9850 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9851 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9853 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9854 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9855 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9858 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9859 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9860 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9861 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9862 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9863 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9864 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9865 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9866 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9867 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9869 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9870 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9871 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9872 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9873 list of articles to be selected.
9875 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9876 the list in one particular group:
9879 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9880 (if (string= group "some.group")
9881 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9885 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9886 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9887 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9888 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9889 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9890 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9891 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9892 buffers. For example:
9895 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9896 '(message-use-followup-to
9897 (gnus-visible-headers .
9898 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9904 @node Summary Group Information
9905 @subsection Summary Group Information
9910 @kindex H f (Summary)
9911 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9912 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9913 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9914 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9915 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9916 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9917 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9918 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9919 be used for fetching the file.
9922 @kindex H d (Summary)
9923 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9924 Give a brief description of the current group
9925 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9926 rereading the description from the server.
9929 @kindex H h (Summary)
9930 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9931 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9932 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9935 @kindex H i (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9937 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9941 @node Searching for Articles
9942 @subsection Searching for Articles
9947 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9948 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9949 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9950 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9953 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9954 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9955 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9956 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9960 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9961 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9962 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9963 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9964 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9965 search backward instead.
9967 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9968 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9971 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9972 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9973 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9974 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9977 @node Summary Generation Commands
9978 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9983 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9985 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9988 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9989 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9990 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9991 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9994 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9995 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9996 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9997 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10002 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10003 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10009 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10010 @kindex A D (Summary)
10011 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10012 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10013 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10014 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10015 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10016 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10017 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10018 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10022 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10023 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10024 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10025 several documents into one biiig group
10026 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10027 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10028 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10029 command understands the process/prefix convention
10030 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10033 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10034 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10035 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10036 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10037 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10038 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10041 @kindex = (Summary)
10042 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10043 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10044 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10047 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10048 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10049 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10050 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10053 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10054 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10055 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10056 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10061 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10062 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10063 @cindex summary exit
10064 @cindex exiting groups
10066 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10067 group and return you to the group buffer.
10073 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10074 @kindex q (Summary)
10075 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10076 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10077 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10078 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10079 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10080 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10081 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10082 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10083 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10084 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10085 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10086 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10090 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10091 @kindex Q (Summary)
10092 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10093 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10094 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10098 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10099 @kindex c (Summary)
10100 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10101 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10102 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10103 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10106 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10107 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10108 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10109 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10112 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10113 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10114 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10115 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10118 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10119 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10120 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10121 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10122 all articles, both read and unread.
10126 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10127 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10128 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10129 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10130 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10131 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10132 articles, both read and unread.
10135 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10136 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10137 Exit the group and go to the next group
10138 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10141 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10142 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10143 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10144 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10147 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10148 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10149 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10150 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10151 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10152 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10155 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10156 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10157 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10158 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10160 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10161 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10162 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10163 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10164 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10165 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10166 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10167 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10168 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10169 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10170 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10171 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10173 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10175 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10176 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10177 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10178 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10179 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10180 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10181 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10182 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10183 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10186 @node Crosspost Handling
10187 @section Crosspost Handling
10191 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10192 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10193 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10194 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10195 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10196 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10199 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10200 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10201 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10202 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10203 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10205 @cindex cross-posting
10208 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10209 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10210 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10211 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10212 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10213 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10214 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10215 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10216 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10217 the cross reference mechanism.
10219 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10220 @cindex overview.fmt
10221 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10222 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10223 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10224 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10225 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10226 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10229 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10230 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10231 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10236 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10239 @node Duplicate Suppression
10240 @section Duplicate Suppression
10242 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10243 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10244 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10245 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10250 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10251 is evil and not very common.
10254 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10255 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10258 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10259 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10262 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10265 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10266 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10268 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10269 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10270 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10271 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10272 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10273 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10274 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10277 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10278 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10279 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10280 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10281 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10282 saw the article in.
10285 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10286 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10287 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10289 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10290 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10291 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10292 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10293 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10294 session are suppressed.
10296 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10297 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10298 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10299 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10301 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10302 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10303 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10304 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10307 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10308 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10309 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10310 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10311 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10312 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10313 to you to figure out, I think.
10318 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10319 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10320 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10324 To handle PGP and PGP/MIME messages, you have to install an OpenPGP
10325 implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface to GnuPG included
10326 with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), but
10327 Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10330 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10331 or newer is recommended.
10335 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10336 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10339 @item mm-verify-option
10340 @vindex mm-verify-option
10341 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10342 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10343 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10345 @item mm-decrypt-option
10346 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10347 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10348 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10349 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10352 @vindex mml1991-use
10353 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for PGP
10354 messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt} and
10355 @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10358 @vindex mml2015-use
10359 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10360 PGP/MIME messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt}
10361 and @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10366 @section Mailing List
10368 @kindex A M (summary)
10369 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10370 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10371 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10372 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10375 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10380 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10381 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10382 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10385 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10386 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10387 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10390 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10391 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10392 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10396 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10397 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10398 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10401 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10402 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10403 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10406 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10407 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10408 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10412 @node Article Buffer
10413 @chapter Article Buffer
10414 @cindex article buffer
10416 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10417 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10418 tell gnus otherwise.
10421 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10422 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10423 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10424 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10425 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10429 @node Hiding Headers
10430 @section Hiding Headers
10431 @cindex hiding headers
10432 @cindex deleting headers
10434 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10435 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10437 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10438 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10439 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10440 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10441 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10442 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10443 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10444 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10445 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10447 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10451 @item gnus-visible-headers
10452 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10453 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10454 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10455 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10457 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10458 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10461 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10464 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10467 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10468 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10469 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10470 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10471 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10472 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10474 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10475 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10478 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10481 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10484 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10485 variable will have no effect.
10489 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10490 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10491 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10492 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10493 the headers are to be displayed.
10495 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10496 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10499 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10502 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10503 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10505 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10506 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10507 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10508 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10509 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10510 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10511 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10514 These conditions are:
10517 Remove all empty headers.
10519 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10520 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10522 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10523 @code{From} header.
10525 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10528 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10529 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10531 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10532 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10534 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10535 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10537 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10540 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10542 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10545 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10548 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10549 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10552 This is also the default value for this variable.
10556 @section Using MIME
10559 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10560 while people stand around yawning.
10562 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10563 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10565 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10566 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10567 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10569 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10570 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10571 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10572 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10573 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10574 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10575 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10576 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10577 not existed yet, sorry).
10579 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10580 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10581 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10582 These can't be avoided.
10584 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10585 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10586 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10587 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10588 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10589 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10590 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10591 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10592 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10595 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10597 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10598 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10599 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10600 buffer when there are nobody else.
10602 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10605 @node Customizing Articles
10606 @section Customizing Articles
10607 @cindex article customization
10609 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10610 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10611 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10612 called automatically when you select the articles.
10614 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10615 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10616 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10617 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10619 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10620 for sensible values.
10624 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10627 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10630 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10633 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10636 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10640 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10641 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10642 regexps in the list.
10645 A list where the first element is not a string:
10647 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10648 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10649 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10653 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10657 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10662 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10663 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10664 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10665 considered to contain just a single part.
10667 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10668 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10669 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10670 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10671 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10672 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10673 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10675 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10676 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10677 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10678 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10681 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10682 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10684 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10686 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10687 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10688 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10689 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10690 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10691 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10692 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10693 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10694 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10695 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10696 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10698 @xref{Article Washing}.
10700 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10701 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10702 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10703 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10704 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10705 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10706 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10708 @xref{Article Date}.
10710 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10711 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10712 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10716 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10718 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10720 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10721 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10722 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10726 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10730 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10731 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10732 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10733 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10734 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10735 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10736 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10737 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10738 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
10739 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
10741 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10743 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10744 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10745 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10747 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10749 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10750 @item gnus-treat-translate
10751 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10753 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10754 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10755 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10756 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10758 @xref{Article Header}.
10763 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10764 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10765 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10766 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10767 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10771 @node Article Keymap
10772 @section Article Keymap
10774 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10775 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10776 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10777 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10780 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10785 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10786 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10787 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10788 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
10791 @kindex DEL (Article)
10792 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10793 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10794 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
10797 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10798 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10799 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10800 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10801 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10804 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10805 @findex gnus-article-mail
10806 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10807 given a prefix, include the mail.
10810 @kindex s (Article)
10811 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10812 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10813 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10816 @kindex ? (Article)
10817 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10818 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10819 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10822 @kindex TAB (Article)
10823 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10824 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10825 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10828 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10829 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10830 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10833 @kindex R (Article)
10834 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10835 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10836 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10837 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10841 @kindex F (Article)
10842 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10843 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10844 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10845 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10853 @section Misc Article
10857 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10858 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10859 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10860 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10863 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10864 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10866 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10867 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10869 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10870 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10871 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10872 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10873 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10874 the contents of the article buffer.
10876 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10877 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10878 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10880 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10881 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10882 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10883 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10885 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10886 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10887 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10888 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10889 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10895 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10896 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10897 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10902 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10905 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10908 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10909 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10910 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10913 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10916 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10919 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10924 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10928 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10930 @item gnus-break-pages
10931 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10932 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10933 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10934 paging will not be done.
10936 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10937 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10938 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10942 @cindex internationalized domain names
10943 @vindex gnus-use-idna
10944 @item gnus-use-idna
10945 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
10946 internationalized domain names inside @sc{From:}, @sc{To:} and
10947 @sc{Cc:} headers. This requires GNU Libidn
10948 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}, and this variable is only
10949 enabled if you have installed it.
10954 @node Composing Messages
10955 @chapter Composing Messages
10956 @cindex composing messages
10959 @cindex sending mail
10964 @cindex using s/mime
10965 @cindex using smime
10967 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10968 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10969 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10970 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10971 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10972 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10975 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10976 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10977 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10978 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10979 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10980 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10981 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10982 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10985 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10986 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10992 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10995 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10996 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10997 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10998 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10999 @code{nil} include all headers.
11001 @item gnus-add-to-list
11002 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11003 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11004 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11006 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11007 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11008 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11009 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11010 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11011 confirmation is should be asked for.
11013 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11014 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11016 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11017 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11018 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11019 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11020 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11025 @node Posting Server
11026 @section Posting Server
11028 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11029 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11031 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11033 It can be quite complicated.
11035 @vindex gnus-post-method
11036 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11037 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11038 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11039 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11040 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11041 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11042 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11043 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11044 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11047 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11050 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11051 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11052 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11053 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11055 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11056 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11058 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11059 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11062 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11063 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11065 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11066 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11067 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11068 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11069 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11070 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11071 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11072 package correctly. An example:
11075 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11076 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11077 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11078 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11079 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11082 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11083 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11084 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11086 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11087 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11088 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11090 @node Mail and Post
11091 @section Mail and Post
11093 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11097 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11098 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11099 @cindex mailing lists
11101 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11102 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11103 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11104 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11105 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11106 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11107 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11108 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11109 still a pain, though.
11111 @item gnus-user-agent
11112 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11115 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11116 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11117 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11118 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11119 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11120 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11121 use a valid format, see RFC 2616."
11125 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11126 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11127 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11130 @findex ispell-message
11132 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11135 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11136 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11139 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11143 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11144 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11146 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11149 Modify to suit your needs.
11152 @node Archived Messages
11153 @section Archived Messages
11154 @cindex archived messages
11155 @cindex sent messages
11157 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11158 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11159 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11160 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11163 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11164 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11167 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11168 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11169 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11172 (nnfolder "archive"
11173 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11174 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11175 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11176 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11179 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11180 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11181 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11182 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11185 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11186 '(nnfolder "archive"
11187 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11188 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11189 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11192 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11194 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11195 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11196 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11198 This variable can be used to do the following:
11203 Messages will be saved in that group.
11205 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11206 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11207 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11208 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11209 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11210 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11211 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11212 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11216 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11218 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11219 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11222 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11227 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11229 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11232 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11234 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11237 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11239 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11240 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11241 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11242 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11245 More complex stuff:
11247 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11248 '((if (message-news-p)
11253 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11254 messages in one file per month:
11257 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11258 '((if (message-news-p)
11260 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11263 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11264 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11266 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11267 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11268 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11269 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11270 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11271 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11272 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11273 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11274 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11275 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11277 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11278 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11279 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11280 this will disable archiving.
11283 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11284 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11285 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11286 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11287 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11290 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11291 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11292 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11295 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11296 but the latter is the preferred method.
11298 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11299 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11300 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11302 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11303 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11304 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11305 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11306 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11307 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11308 changed in the future.
11313 @node Posting Styles
11314 @section Posting Styles
11315 @cindex posting styles
11318 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11320 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11321 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11322 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11325 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11326 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11327 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11328 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11329 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11334 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11335 (organization "What me?"))
11337 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11338 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11339 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11342 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11343 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11344 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11345 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11346 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11347 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11348 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11349 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11351 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11352 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11353 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11354 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11355 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11356 @var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
11357 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11358 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11359 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11360 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11361 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11362 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11363 said to @dfn{match}.
11365 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11366 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11367 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11368 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11369 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11370 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11371 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11372 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11373 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11374 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11377 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11378 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11379 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11380 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11381 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11382 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11383 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11384 references chars lines xref extra.
11386 @vindex message-reply-headers
11388 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11389 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11390 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11392 @findex message-mail-p
11393 @findex message-news-p
11395 So here's a new example:
11398 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11400 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11402 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11403 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11405 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11406 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11407 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11408 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11409 (signature my-news-signature))
11410 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11411 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11412 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11413 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11414 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11415 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11416 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11417 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11418 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11419 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11421 (From (save-excursion
11422 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11423 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11425 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11428 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11429 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11430 if you fill many roles.
11432 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11433 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11434 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11435 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11436 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11437 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11438 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11439 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11444 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11446 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11448 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11449 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11452 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11455 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11456 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11463 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11464 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11465 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11466 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11467 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11469 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11470 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11471 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11472 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11473 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11477 @vindex nndraft-directory
11478 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11479 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11480 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11481 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11482 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11483 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11485 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11486 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11487 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11488 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11489 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11490 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11491 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11492 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11493 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11495 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11496 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11497 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11498 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11499 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11500 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11501 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11502 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11503 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11504 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11505 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11506 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11507 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11508 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11510 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11511 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11512 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11514 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11515 @kindex D e (Draft)
11516 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11517 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11518 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11520 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11523 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11524 @kindex D s (Draft)
11525 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11526 @kindex D S (Draft)
11527 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11528 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11529 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11530 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11531 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11534 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11535 @kindex D t (Draft)
11536 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11537 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11538 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11541 @node Rejected Articles
11542 @section Rejected Articles
11543 @cindex rejected articles
11545 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11546 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11547 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11548 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11550 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11551 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11552 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11553 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11554 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11556 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11557 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11558 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11560 @node Signing and encrypting
11561 @section Signing and encrypting
11563 @cindex using s/mime
11564 @cindex using smime
11566 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11567 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11568 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11569 (@pxref{Security}).
11571 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11572 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11573 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11574 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11575 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11576 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11577 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11578 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11579 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11580 automatically encrypted messages.
11582 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11583 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11584 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11589 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11590 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11592 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11595 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11596 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11598 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11601 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11602 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11604 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11607 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11608 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11610 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11613 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11614 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11616 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11619 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11620 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11622 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11625 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11626 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11627 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11631 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11633 @node Select Methods
11634 @chapter Select Methods
11635 @cindex foreign groups
11636 @cindex select methods
11638 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11639 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11640 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11641 personal mail group.
11643 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11644 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11645 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11646 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11647 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11648 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11650 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11651 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11653 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11656 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11657 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11658 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11659 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11660 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11662 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11665 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11666 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11667 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11668 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11669 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11670 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11671 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11672 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11676 @node Server Buffer
11677 @section Server Buffer
11679 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11680 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11681 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11682 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11683 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11684 back end represents a virtual server.
11686 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11687 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11688 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11689 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11691 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11692 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11693 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11694 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11695 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11696 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11697 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11699 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11700 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11703 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11704 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11705 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11706 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11707 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11708 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11709 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11712 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11713 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11716 @node Server Buffer Format
11717 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11718 @cindex server buffer format
11720 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11721 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11722 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11723 variable, with some simple extensions:
11728 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11731 The name of this server.
11734 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11737 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11740 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11741 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11742 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11743 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11753 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11756 @node Server Commands
11757 @subsection Server Commands
11758 @cindex server commands
11764 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11765 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11769 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11770 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11773 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11774 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11775 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11779 @findex gnus-server-exit
11780 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11784 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11785 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11789 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11790 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11794 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11795 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11799 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11800 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11804 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11805 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11806 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11811 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11812 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11813 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11814 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11819 @node Example Methods
11820 @subsection Example Methods
11822 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11825 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11828 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11834 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11835 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11838 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11839 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11841 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11842 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11846 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11849 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11850 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11852 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11853 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11854 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11858 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11861 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11864 Here's the method for a public spool:
11868 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11869 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11875 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11876 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11877 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11878 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11879 should probably look something like this:
11883 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11884 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11885 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11886 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11889 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11890 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11891 configuration to the example above:
11894 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11897 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11899 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11900 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11901 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11905 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11906 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11907 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11908 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11911 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11912 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11913 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11914 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11917 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11918 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11920 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11921 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11923 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11924 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11925 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11927 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11929 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11930 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11931 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11932 will contain the following:
11942 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11943 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11944 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11947 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11948 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11949 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11952 @node Server Variables
11953 @subsection Server Variables
11955 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11956 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11957 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11958 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11959 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
11961 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11962 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11963 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11964 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11965 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11966 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11967 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11968 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11969 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11973 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11974 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11975 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11979 @node Servers and Methods
11980 @subsection Servers and Methods
11982 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11983 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11984 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11985 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11989 @node Unavailable Servers
11990 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11992 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11993 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11994 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11995 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11996 actually the case or not.
11998 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11999 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12000 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12001 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12002 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12003 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12004 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12005 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12007 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12008 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12010 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12011 with the following commands:
12017 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12018 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12019 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12023 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12024 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12025 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12029 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12030 Mark the current server as unreachable
12031 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12034 @kindex M-o (Server)
12035 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12036 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12037 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12040 @kindex M-c (Server)
12041 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12042 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12043 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12047 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12048 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12049 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12053 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12054 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12060 @section Getting News
12061 @cindex reading news
12062 @cindex news back ends
12064 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12065 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
12066 or it can read from a local spool.
12069 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
12070 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12078 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
12079 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
12080 server as the, uhm, address.
12082 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12083 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12084 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12085 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12087 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12088 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12089 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12091 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12096 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12097 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12098 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12100 @cindex authentification
12101 @cindex nntp authentification
12102 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12103 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12104 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12105 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
12106 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12107 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12108 present in this hook.
12110 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12111 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12112 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12113 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12114 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
12115 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12116 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12117 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12118 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12119 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12120 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12121 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12125 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12128 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12130 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12131 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12132 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12133 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12134 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12135 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12136 @samp{force} is explained below.
12140 Here's an example file:
12143 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12144 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12147 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12148 have to be first, for instance.
12150 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12151 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12152 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12153 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12154 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12155 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12156 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12158 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12159 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12165 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12166 previously mentioned.
12168 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12170 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12171 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12172 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12173 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12174 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12177 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12178 '(("innd" (ding))))
12181 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12183 The default value is
12186 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12187 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12188 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12191 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12192 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12194 @item nntp-maximum-request
12195 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12196 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12197 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12198 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12199 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12200 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12201 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12203 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12204 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12205 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12206 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12207 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12208 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12209 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12210 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12211 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12212 no timeouts are done.
12214 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12215 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12216 @c @cindex PPP connections
12217 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12218 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12219 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12220 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12221 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12222 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12223 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12224 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12225 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12226 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12228 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12229 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12230 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12231 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12232 @c described above.
12234 @item nntp-server-hook
12235 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12236 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12239 @item nntp-buggy-select
12240 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12241 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12243 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12244 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12245 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12246 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12249 @item nntp-xover-commands
12250 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12253 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12254 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12258 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12259 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12260 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12261 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12262 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12263 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12264 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12265 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12266 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12267 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12268 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12270 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12271 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12272 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12274 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12275 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12276 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12277 server closes connection.
12279 @item nntp-record-commands
12280 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12281 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12282 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12283 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12284 that doesn't seem to work.
12286 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12287 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12288 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12289 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12290 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12291 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12292 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12293 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12295 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12296 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12297 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12298 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12299 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12300 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12301 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12304 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12307 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12308 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12310 @item nntp-read-timeout
12311 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12312 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12313 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12314 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12315 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12318 @item nntp-list-options
12319 @vindex nntp-list-options
12320 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12321 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12322 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12323 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12324 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12328 (setq gnus-select-method
12329 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12330 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12333 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12334 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12335 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12336 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12337 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12338 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12339 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12342 (setq gnus-select-method
12343 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12344 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12347 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12348 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12349 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12350 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12351 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12352 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12353 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12356 (setq gnus-select-method
12357 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12358 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12363 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12364 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12365 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12369 @node Direct Functions
12370 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12371 @cindex direct connection functions
12373 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12374 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12375 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12376 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12379 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12380 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12381 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12384 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12385 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12386 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12387 this you must have GNUTLS installed (see
12388 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}). You then define a server
12392 ;; "nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12393 ;; however, gnutls-cli -p doesn't like named ports.
12395 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12396 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12397 (nntp-port-number )
12398 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12401 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12402 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12403 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
12404 you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12405 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}. You then
12406 define a server as follows:
12409 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12410 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports.
12412 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12413 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12414 (nntp-port-number 563)
12415 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12418 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12419 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12420 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12421 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12422 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12423 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12424 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12425 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12429 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12430 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12431 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12434 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12435 session, which is not a good idea.
12439 @node Indirect Functions
12440 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12441 @cindex indirect connection functions
12443 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12444 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12445 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12446 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12447 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12448 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12451 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12452 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12453 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12454 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12455 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12457 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12460 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12461 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12462 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12463 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12465 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12466 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12467 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12468 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12469 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12470 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12471 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12472 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12475 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12476 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12477 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12478 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12480 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12483 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12484 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12485 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12488 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12489 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12490 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12491 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12493 @item nntp-via-user-password
12494 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12495 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12497 @item nntp-via-envuser
12498 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12499 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12500 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12501 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12503 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12504 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12505 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12506 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12513 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12518 @item nntp-via-user-name
12519 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12520 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12522 @item nntp-via-address
12523 @vindex nntp-via-address
12524 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12529 @node Common Variables
12530 @subsubsection Common Variables
12532 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12533 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12538 @item nntp-pre-command
12539 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12540 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12541 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12542 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12543 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12546 @vindex nntp-address
12547 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12549 @item nntp-port-number
12550 @vindex nntp-port-number
12551 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is
12552 @samp{nntp}. If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{tls}/@sc{ssl}, you may
12553 want to use integer ports rather than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563}
12554 instead of @samp{snews} or @samp{nntps}), because external TLS/SSL
12555 tools may not work with named ports.
12557 @item nntp-end-of-line
12558 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12559 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12560 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12561 using a non native connection function.
12563 @item nntp-telnet-command
12564 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12565 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12566 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12567 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12569 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12570 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12571 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12578 @subsection News Spool
12582 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12583 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12584 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12587 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12588 anything else) as the address.
12590 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12591 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12592 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12593 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12597 @item nnspool-inews-program
12598 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12599 Program used to post an article.
12601 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12602 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12603 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12605 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12606 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12607 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12608 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12610 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12611 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12612 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12613 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12615 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12616 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12617 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12619 @item nnspool-active-file
12620 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12621 The name of the active file.
12623 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12624 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12625 The name of the group descriptions file.
12627 @item nnspool-history-file
12628 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12629 The name of the news history file.
12631 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12632 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12633 The name of the active date file.
12635 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12636 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12637 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12640 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12641 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12643 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12644 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12645 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12651 @section Getting Mail
12652 @cindex reading mail
12655 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12659 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12660 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12661 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12662 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12663 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12664 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12665 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12666 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12667 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12668 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12669 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12670 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12671 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12675 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12676 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12678 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12679 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12680 of a culture shock.
12682 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12683 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12685 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12686 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12687 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12688 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12690 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12692 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12693 deleted? How awful!
12695 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12696 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12697 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12698 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12701 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12702 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12703 they want to treat a message.
12705 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12706 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12707 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12708 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12709 archived somewhere else.
12711 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12712 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12713 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12714 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12715 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12717 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12718 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12719 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12721 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12722 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12725 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12726 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12727 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12728 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12729 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12731 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12732 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12733 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12734 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12735 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12736 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12740 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12741 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12743 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12744 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12745 and things will happen automatically.
12747 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
12748 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12751 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12754 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12755 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12756 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12757 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12758 like any other group.
12760 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12763 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12764 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12765 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12769 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12770 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12771 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12774 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12775 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12776 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12779 @node Splitting Mail
12780 @subsection Splitting Mail
12781 @cindex splitting mail
12782 @cindex mail splitting
12784 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12785 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12786 to be split into groups.
12789 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12790 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12791 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12792 ("mail.other" "")))
12795 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12796 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12797 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12798 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12799 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12800 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12801 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12804 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12807 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12808 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12809 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12810 mail belongs in that group.
12812 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12813 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
12814 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12815 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12816 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
12817 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
12819 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12820 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12821 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12822 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12823 thinks should carry this mail message.
12825 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12826 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12827 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12828 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12830 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12831 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12832 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12833 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12834 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
12836 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12839 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12840 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12841 links. If that's the case for you, set
12842 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12843 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12845 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12846 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12847 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12848 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12849 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12850 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12853 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12854 Header lines longer than the value of
12855 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12858 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12859 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12860 By default the splitting codes @sc{mime} decodes headers so you can match
12861 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12862 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12863 can be turned off completely by binding
12864 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12865 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12867 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12868 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12869 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12870 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12871 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12872 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12873 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12876 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12877 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12878 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12879 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12880 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12881 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12882 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12883 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12884 month's rent money.
12888 @subsection Mail Sources
12890 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12891 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12895 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12896 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12897 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12901 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12902 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12904 @cindex mail server
12907 @cindex mail source
12909 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12910 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12915 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12918 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12919 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12920 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12923 The following mail source types are available:
12927 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12933 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12934 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12935 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12939 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12942 An example file mail source:
12945 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12948 Or using the default file name:
12954 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12955 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12956 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12959 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12963 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12966 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12970 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12973 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12975 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12978 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12982 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12983 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12984 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12985 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12986 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12987 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12988 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12989 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12990 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12991 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12993 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12994 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12995 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12996 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13002 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13006 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13010 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13011 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13012 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13013 predicate are considered.
13017 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13021 An example directory mail source:
13024 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13029 Get mail from a POP server.
13035 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
13036 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13039 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
13040 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13041 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13042 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13043 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13046 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
13050 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
13054 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
13055 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13058 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13061 The valid format specifier characters are:
13065 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13066 included in this string.
13069 The name of the server.
13072 The port number of the server.
13075 The user name to use.
13078 The password to use.
13081 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13082 corresponding keywords.
13085 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13086 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13089 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13090 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13093 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
13094 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
13097 @item :authentication
13098 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13099 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13103 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13104 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13105 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13106 programs and libraries:
13110 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13111 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13112 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13114 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13115 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13120 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13121 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13125 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13126 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13128 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
13129 default user name, and default fetcher:
13135 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13138 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13139 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13142 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13145 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13149 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13150 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13151 contains exactly one mail.
13157 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13158 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13161 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13162 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13164 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13165 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13166 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13169 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13170 from locking problems).
13174 Two example maildir mail sources:
13177 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13178 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13182 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13187 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13188 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13189 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13190 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13193 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, TLS/SSL and STARTTLS support you
13194 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13200 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13201 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13204 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13205 @samp{993} for TLS/SSL connections.
13208 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13212 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13216 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13217 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13218 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13219 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13221 @item :authentication
13222 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13223 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13224 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13225 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13228 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13229 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13230 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13236 The valid format specifier characters are:
13240 The name of the server.
13243 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13246 The port number of the server.
13249 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13250 corresponding keywords.
13253 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13254 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13257 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13258 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13259 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13260 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13261 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13262 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13265 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13266 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13267 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13268 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13271 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13272 after finishing the fetch.
13276 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13279 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13281 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13285 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13286 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13287 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13289 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13290 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13292 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13298 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13299 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13302 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13306 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13310 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13311 folder after finishing the fetch.
13315 An example webmail source:
13318 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13320 :password "secret")
13325 @item Common Keywords
13326 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13332 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13333 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13337 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13342 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13343 useful when you use local mail and news.
13348 @subsubsection Function Interface
13350 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13351 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13352 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13353 consider the following mail-source setting:
13356 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13357 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13360 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13361 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13362 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13363 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13364 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13366 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13369 @node Mail Source Customization
13370 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13372 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13373 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13377 @item mail-source-crash-box
13378 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13379 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13380 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13382 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13383 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13384 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13385 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13386 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13387 (This will only happen, when reveiving new mail). You may also set
13388 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13389 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13391 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13392 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13393 If @code{non-nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13394 files. This variable only applies when
13395 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13397 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13398 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13399 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13401 @item mail-source-directory
13402 @vindex mail-source-directory
13403 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13404 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13405 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13408 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13409 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13410 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13411 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13412 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13413 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13415 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13416 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13417 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13419 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13420 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13421 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13422 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13427 @node Fetching Mail
13428 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13430 @vindex mail-sources
13431 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13432 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13433 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13434 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13436 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13437 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13440 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13441 mail server, you'd say something like:
13446 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13447 :password "secret")))
13450 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13454 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13455 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13458 :password "secret")))
13462 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13463 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13464 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13465 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13466 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13467 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13471 @node Mail Back End Variables
13472 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13474 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13478 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13479 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13480 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13481 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13483 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13484 @item nnmail-split-hook
13485 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13486 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13487 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13488 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13489 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13490 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13491 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13492 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13493 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13496 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13497 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13498 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13499 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13500 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13501 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13502 starting to handle the new mail) and
13503 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13504 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13505 default file modes the new mail files get:
13508 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13509 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13511 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13512 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13515 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13516 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13517 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13518 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13519 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13520 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13521 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13523 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13524 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13525 @findex delete-file
13526 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13528 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13529 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13530 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13531 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13532 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13534 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13535 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13536 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13537 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13538 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13540 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13541 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13542 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13547 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13548 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13549 @cindex mail splitting
13550 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13552 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13553 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13554 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13555 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13556 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13557 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13559 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13562 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13563 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13564 ;; from real errors.
13565 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13567 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13568 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13569 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13570 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13571 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13572 ;; Other mailing lists...
13573 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13574 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13575 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13576 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13577 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13578 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13579 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13580 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13582 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13583 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13587 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13588 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13589 the five possible split syntaxes:
13594 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13595 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13599 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13600 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13601 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13602 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13603 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13604 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13605 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13606 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13609 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13610 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13611 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13612 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13615 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13616 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13619 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13620 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13623 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13624 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13625 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13626 function should return a @var{split}.
13629 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13630 body of the messages:
13633 (defun split-on-body ()
13635 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13636 (goto-char (point-min))
13637 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13641 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13642 when the @code{:} function is run.
13645 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
13646 first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
13647 @var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
13648 as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
13651 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13655 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13656 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13657 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13658 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13659 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13661 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13662 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13663 are expanded as specified by the variable
13664 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13665 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13668 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13669 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13670 when all this splitting is performed.
13672 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13673 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13674 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13677 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13680 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13681 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13683 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13684 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13685 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13686 groupings 1 through 9.
13688 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13689 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13690 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13691 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13692 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13693 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13694 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13695 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13696 it once per thread.
13698 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13699 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13700 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13703 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13704 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13706 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13707 ;; other splits go here
13711 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13712 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13713 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13714 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13715 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13716 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13717 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13718 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13719 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13720 unless the group name matches the regexp
13721 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13722 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13723 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13724 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13725 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13726 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13727 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13728 messages goes into the new group.
13730 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13731 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13732 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13733 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13734 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13738 @node Group Mail Splitting
13739 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13740 @cindex mail splitting
13741 @cindex group mail splitting
13743 @findex gnus-group-split
13744 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13745 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13746 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13747 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13748 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13749 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13750 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13751 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13753 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13754 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13755 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13756 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13758 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13759 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13760 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13761 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13762 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13763 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13764 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13766 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13767 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13768 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13769 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13770 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13771 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13772 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13774 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13775 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13776 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13777 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13778 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13779 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13780 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13781 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13782 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13783 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13784 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13785 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13786 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13788 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13793 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13794 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13796 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13797 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13798 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13799 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13801 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13804 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13805 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13806 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13809 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13810 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13811 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13815 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13816 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13817 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13821 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13824 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13825 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13826 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13827 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13828 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13829 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13830 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13831 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13832 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13834 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13835 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13836 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13837 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13838 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13839 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13840 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13841 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13842 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13844 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13845 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13846 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13847 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13848 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13849 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13852 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13855 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13856 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13857 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13858 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13859 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13862 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13863 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13864 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13865 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13867 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13868 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13869 @cindex incorporating old mail
13870 @cindex import old mail
13872 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13873 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13874 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13877 Doing so can be quite easy.
13879 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13880 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13881 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13882 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13883 your @code{nnml} groups.
13889 Go to the group buffer.
13892 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13893 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13896 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
13899 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13900 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13903 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13904 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13907 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13908 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13909 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13910 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13911 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13913 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13914 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13915 using the new mail back end.
13918 @node Expiring Mail
13919 @subsection Expiring Mail
13920 @cindex article expiry
13922 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13923 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13924 different approach to mail reading.
13926 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13927 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13928 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13929 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13930 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13931 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13934 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13935 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13936 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13937 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13938 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13939 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13940 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13941 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13942 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13944 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13945 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13946 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13947 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13948 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13949 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13950 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13953 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13954 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13955 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13956 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13957 into its own group.)
13959 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13960 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13961 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13962 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13963 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13964 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13965 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13966 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13969 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13970 Groups that match the regular expression
13971 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13972 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13973 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13975 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13976 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13977 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13978 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13979 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13981 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13983 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13984 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13985 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13988 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13989 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13990 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13991 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13992 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13994 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13995 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13998 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13999 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14002 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14003 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14005 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14006 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14007 don't really mix very well.
14009 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14010 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14011 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14012 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14015 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14016 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14017 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14018 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14021 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14023 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14025 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14027 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14029 ((string= group "important")
14035 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14036 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14038 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14039 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14040 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14043 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14044 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14046 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14047 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14048 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14049 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14050 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14051 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14052 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14053 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14054 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14055 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14056 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14057 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
14058 name or @code{delete}.
14060 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14062 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14065 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14066 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14067 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14068 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14069 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14072 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14073 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14074 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14075 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14076 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14079 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14080 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14081 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14082 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14083 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14084 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14086 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14087 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14088 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14089 easier for procmail users.
14091 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14092 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14093 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14094 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14095 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14096 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14097 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14098 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14099 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14100 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14101 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14102 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14103 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14106 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14108 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14109 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14110 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14111 auto-expire turned on.
14115 @subsection Washing Mail
14116 @cindex mail washing
14117 @cindex list server brain damage
14118 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14120 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14121 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14122 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14123 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14124 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14125 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14127 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14128 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14129 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14132 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14133 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14134 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14135 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14138 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14139 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14140 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14141 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14142 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14145 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14146 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14147 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14148 Emacs running on MS machines.
14152 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14153 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14154 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14155 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14158 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14159 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14160 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14161 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14163 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14164 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14165 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14166 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14167 into a feature by documenting it.)
14169 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14170 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14171 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14172 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14173 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14174 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14175 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14178 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14179 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14182 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14183 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14186 This can also be done non-destructively with
14187 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14189 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14190 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14191 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14193 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14194 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14196 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14197 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14198 @code{References} headers.
14202 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14203 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14204 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14208 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14209 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14210 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14217 @subsection Duplicates
14219 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14220 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14221 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14222 @cindex duplicate mails
14223 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14224 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14225 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14226 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14227 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14228 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14229 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14230 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14231 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14232 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14233 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14234 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14235 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14237 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14238 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14239 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14240 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14242 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14245 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14246 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14250 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14251 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14252 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14253 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14254 (any mail "mail.misc")
14261 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14262 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14267 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14268 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14269 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14270 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14271 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14274 @node Not Reading Mail
14275 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14277 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14278 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14279 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14281 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14282 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14283 mail, which should help.
14285 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14286 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14287 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14288 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14289 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14290 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14291 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14292 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14293 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14294 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14295 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14297 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14298 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14302 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14303 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14305 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14306 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14307 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14309 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14310 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14311 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14315 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14316 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14317 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14318 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14319 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14320 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14321 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14325 @node Unix Mail Box
14326 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14328 @cindex unix mail box
14330 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14331 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14332 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14333 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14334 which group it belongs in.
14336 Virtual server settings:
14339 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14340 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14341 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14344 @item nnmbox-active-file
14345 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14346 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14347 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14349 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14350 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14351 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14352 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14357 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14361 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14362 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14363 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14364 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14365 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14367 Virtual server settings:
14370 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14371 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14372 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14374 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14375 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14376 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14377 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14379 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14380 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14381 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14387 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14389 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14391 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14392 format. It should be used with some caution.
14394 @vindex nnml-directory
14395 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14396 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14397 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14398 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14400 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14403 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14404 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14405 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14406 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14407 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14408 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14409 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14410 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14412 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14413 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14414 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14415 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14417 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14419 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14420 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14421 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14422 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14423 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14424 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14425 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14426 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14429 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14430 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14431 them next time it starts.
14433 Virtual server settings:
14436 @item nnml-directory
14437 @vindex nnml-directory
14438 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14439 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14442 @item nnml-active-file
14443 @vindex nnml-active-file
14444 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14445 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14447 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14448 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14449 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14450 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14452 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14453 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14454 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14457 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14458 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14459 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14460 default is @code{nil}.
14462 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14463 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14464 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14466 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14467 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14468 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14470 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14471 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14472 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14473 default is @code{nil}.
14475 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14476 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14477 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14479 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14480 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14481 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14486 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14487 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14488 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14489 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14490 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14491 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14492 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14497 @subsubsection MH Spool
14499 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14501 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14502 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14503 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14504 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14506 Virtual server settings:
14509 @item nnmh-directory
14510 @vindex nnmh-directory
14511 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14512 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14515 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14516 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14517 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14521 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14522 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14523 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14524 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14525 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14526 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14527 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14532 @subsubsection Maildir
14536 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14537 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14538 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14539 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14540 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14543 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14544 reading, without needing locks. With other backends, you would have
14545 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14546 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14547 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14548 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14551 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14552 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14553 data in the filesystem.
14555 nnmaildir stores article marks and NOV data in each maildir. So you
14556 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14559 Virtual server settings:
14563 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14564 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14565 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14566 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14567 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14568 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14569 starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14570 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14571 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14574 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14575 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14576 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14577 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14578 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14579 don't worry - a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14580 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14581 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14582 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14583 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14585 @item target-prefix
14586 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14587 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14588 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14591 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14592 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14593 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14594 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14595 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14596 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14597 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14598 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14599 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14601 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14602 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14603 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14604 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14605 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14607 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14608 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14609 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14610 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14611 @code{force} argument.
14613 @item directory-files
14614 This should be a function with the same interface as
14615 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14616 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14617 parameter is optional; the default is
14618 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14619 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14620 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14621 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14622 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14623 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14626 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14627 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14628 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14629 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14630 value is @code{nil}.
14632 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14633 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14634 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14635 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14636 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14639 @subsubsection Group parameters
14641 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14642 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14643 behavior for other mail backends: articles are deleted after one week,
14644 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14645 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14646 duplicate the behavior you already have with another backend.
14648 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14649 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14650 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14651 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14652 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14653 backends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14654 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14655 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14656 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14660 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14661 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14662 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14663 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14664 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overridable by
14665 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14666 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14667 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14668 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14669 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14670 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14671 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14674 If this is set to a string (a full Gnus group name, like
14675 @code{"backend+server.address.string:group.name"}), and if it is not
14676 the name of the same group that the parameter belongs to, then
14677 articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry before
14678 being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14679 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14680 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
14681 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
14682 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
14683 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
14684 article. So that form can refer to
14685 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
14686 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
14687 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
14688 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
14691 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
14692 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
14693 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
14694 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
14695 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
14696 directory of another maildir - e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
14697 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
14698 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
14699 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
14700 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
14701 extra copies of the articles.
14703 @item directory-files
14704 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
14705 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
14706 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
14707 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
14709 @item distrust-Lines:
14710 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
14711 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
14712 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
14715 A list of mark symbols, such as
14716 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
14717 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
14718 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
14719 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
14720 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14721 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14724 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
14725 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
14726 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
14727 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
14728 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
14729 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14730 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14732 @item nov-cache-size
14733 An integer specifying the size of the NOV memory cache. To speed
14734 things up, nnmaildir keeps NOV data in memory for a limited number of
14735 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
14736 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
14737 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened - i.e.,
14738 when you first start Gnus, typically. The NOV cache is never resized
14739 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
14740 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
14741 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
14742 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
14745 @subsubsection Article identification
14746 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
14747 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
14748 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
14749 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
14750 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
14751 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
14752 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
14753 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
14754 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
14755 request the article in the summary buffer.
14757 @subsubsection NOV data
14758 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its NOV data (used to
14759 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
14760 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
14761 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
14762 need for it - an article's NOV data is updated automatically when the
14763 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
14764 nnmaildir to regenerate the NOV data for a single article simply by
14765 deleting the corresponding NOV file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
14766 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
14767 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
14769 @subsubsection Article marks
14770 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
14771 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
14772 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
14773 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
14774 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
14775 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
14776 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
14777 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
14779 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
14780 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
14781 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
14782 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
14783 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
14784 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
14785 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
14786 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
14787 changes, and might undo them.
14791 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14793 @cindex mbox folders
14794 @cindex mail folders
14796 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14797 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14798 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14801 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14803 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14804 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14805 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14806 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14807 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14808 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14809 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14810 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14811 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14812 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14814 Virtual server settings:
14817 @item nnfolder-directory
14818 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14819 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14820 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14823 @item nnfolder-active-file
14824 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14825 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14827 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14828 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14829 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14830 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
14832 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14833 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14834 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14837 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14838 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14839 @cindex backup files
14840 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14841 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14842 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14843 your @file{.emacs} file:
14846 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14847 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14849 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14852 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14853 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14854 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14855 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14856 extract some information from it before removing it.
14858 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14859 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14860 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14861 default is @code{nil}.
14863 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14864 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14865 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14867 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14868 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14869 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14870 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14872 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14873 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14874 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14875 default is @code{nil}.
14877 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14878 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14879 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14881 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14882 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14883 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14884 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14889 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14890 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14891 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14892 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14893 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14894 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14897 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14898 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14900 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14901 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14902 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14903 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14904 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14906 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14907 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14908 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14909 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14910 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14911 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14912 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14913 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14916 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14917 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14918 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14919 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14924 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14925 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14926 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14927 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14928 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14929 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14930 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14931 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14932 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14933 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14934 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14935 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14936 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14941 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14942 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14943 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14944 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14945 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14946 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14947 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14948 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14949 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14950 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14951 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14952 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14953 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14954 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14956 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14957 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14962 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14963 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14964 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14965 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14966 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14967 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14968 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14969 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14970 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14971 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14972 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14973 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14974 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14975 provided by the active file and overviews.
14977 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14978 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14979 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14980 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14981 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14984 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14985 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14990 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14991 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14992 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14993 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14994 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14995 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14996 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15000 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15001 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15002 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15003 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15004 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15005 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15006 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15007 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15008 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15010 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15011 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15012 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15013 friendly mail back end all over.
15017 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15018 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15021 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15022 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15023 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15024 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15025 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15026 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15027 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
15028 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
15031 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15032 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15033 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
15034 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15035 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15036 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15037 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15038 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15039 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15040 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15041 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15043 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15044 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15045 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15046 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15047 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15050 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15051 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15052 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15053 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15054 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15055 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15056 removed in the future.
15058 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15059 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15060 on your file system.
15062 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15063 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15068 @node Browsing the Web
15069 @section Browsing the Web
15071 @cindex browsing the web
15075 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15076 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15077 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15078 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15079 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15080 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15081 even know what a news group is.
15083 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15084 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15085 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15086 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15087 you mad in the end.
15089 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15092 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15093 interfaces to these sources.
15097 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15098 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15099 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15100 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15101 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15102 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15105 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15107 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15108 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
15109 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15110 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15111 though, you should be ok.
15113 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15114 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15115 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15116 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15117 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15119 @node Archiving Mail
15120 @subsection Archiving Mail
15121 @cindex archiving mail
15122 @cindex backup of mail
15124 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15125 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15126 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15127 marks is fairly simple.
15129 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15130 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15133 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15134 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15135 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15136 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15137 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15138 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15139 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15140 before you restore the data.
15142 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15143 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15144 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15145 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15146 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15147 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15148 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15149 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15150 is unnecessary in that case.
15153 @subsection Web Searches
15158 @cindex Usenet searches
15159 @cindex searching the Usenet
15161 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15162 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15163 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15164 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15165 searches without having to use a browser.
15167 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15168 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15169 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15170 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15171 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15173 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15174 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15175 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15176 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15177 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15178 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15179 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15180 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15181 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15182 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15185 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15186 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15187 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15188 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15189 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15190 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15192 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15193 to use @code{nnweb}.
15195 Virtual server variables:
15200 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15201 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15202 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15205 @vindex nnweb-search
15206 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15208 @item nnweb-max-hits
15209 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15210 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15213 @item nnweb-type-definition
15214 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15215 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15216 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15221 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15225 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15228 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15231 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15235 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15242 @subsection Slashdot
15246 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
15247 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15248 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15250 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15251 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
15254 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15255 '((nnslashdot "")))
15258 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15259 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15260 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15261 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15262 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15265 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15266 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15268 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15269 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
15270 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15271 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15272 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
15273 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15276 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15279 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15280 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15281 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15282 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15283 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15284 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15285 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15287 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15288 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15289 The login name to use when posting.
15291 @item nnslashdot-password
15292 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15293 The password to use when posting.
15295 @item nnslashdot-directory
15296 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15297 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15298 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15300 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15301 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15302 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15303 news articles and comments. The default is
15304 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15306 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15307 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15308 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15310 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15312 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15313 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15314 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15316 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15318 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15319 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15320 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15322 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15323 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15324 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15325 updated. The default is 0.
15332 @subsection Ultimate
15334 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15336 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
15337 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15338 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15339 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15341 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15342 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15343 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15344 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15345 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15346 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15347 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15349 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15352 @item nnultimate-directory
15353 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15354 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
15355 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15360 @subsection Web Archive
15362 @cindex Web Archive
15364 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15365 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15366 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15367 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15370 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15371 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15372 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15373 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
15374 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
15375 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15376 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15377 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15379 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15382 @item nnwarchive-directory
15383 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15384 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
15385 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15387 @item nnwarchive-login
15388 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15389 The account name on the web server.
15391 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15392 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15393 The password for your account on the web server.
15401 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15402 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15403 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15406 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15407 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15410 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15413 @item nnrss-directory
15414 @vindex nnrss-directory
15415 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15416 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15420 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15421 the summary buffer.
15424 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15425 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15427 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15429 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15430 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15433 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15436 (require 'browse-url)
15438 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15440 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15443 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15444 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15447 (browse-url (cdr url))
15448 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15449 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15451 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15452 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15453 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15454 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15457 @node Customizing w3
15458 @subsection Customizing w3
15464 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15465 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15466 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15468 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15469 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15470 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15473 (eval-after-load "w3"
15475 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15476 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15477 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15478 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15480 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15483 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15484 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15493 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15494 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15495 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15496 specify the network address of the server.
15498 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15499 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15500 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15501 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15502 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15504 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15505 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15506 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15507 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15509 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15510 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15511 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15512 usage explained in this section.
15514 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15515 might look something like the following. (Note that for TLS/SSL, you
15516 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15519 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15520 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15521 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15523 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15524 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15525 ; a UW server running on localhost
15527 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15528 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15529 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15530 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15531 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15532 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15533 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15534 (nnimap-stream network))
15535 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15537 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15538 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15539 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15542 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15543 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15544 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15545 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15547 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15552 @item nnimap-address
15553 @vindex nnimap-address
15555 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15556 server name if not specified.
15558 @item nnimap-server-port
15559 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15560 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for TLS/SSL.
15562 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15565 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15566 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15569 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15570 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15571 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15572 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15573 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15574 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15575 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15577 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15578 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15579 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15582 Example server specification:
15585 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15586 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15587 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15590 @item nnimap-stream
15591 @vindex nnimap-stream
15592 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15593 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15594 of TLS/SSL. (@sc{imap} over TLS/SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15595 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15597 Example server specification:
15600 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15601 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15604 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15608 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15609 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15611 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15613 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15614 TLS/SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15617 @dfn{tls:} Connect through TLS. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15618 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15620 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15621 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15623 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15625 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15628 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15629 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15630 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15631 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15632 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15633 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15634 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15635 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15636 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15639 For TLS connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
15640 needed. It is available from
15641 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
15643 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
15644 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
15645 authenticated IMAP stream in a subshell. They are tried sequentially
15646 until a connection is made, or the list has been exhausted. By
15647 default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
15648 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
15649 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
15652 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15653 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15654 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15655 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15656 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15657 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15658 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15661 @vindex imap-shell-program
15662 @vindex imap-shell-host
15663 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15664 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15666 @item nnimap-authenticator
15667 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15669 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15670 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15672 Example server specification:
15675 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15676 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15679 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15683 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15684 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
15686 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15689 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15690 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15692 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15694 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15696 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15699 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15701 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15702 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15703 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15704 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15705 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15706 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15709 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15710 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15711 running in circles yet?
15713 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15714 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15717 The possible options are:
15722 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
15725 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15726 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15727 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15728 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15730 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15735 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15736 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15738 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15739 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15740 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15741 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15742 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15745 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15746 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15749 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15750 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15751 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15752 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15755 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15756 as ticked for other users.
15758 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15760 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15762 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15763 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15764 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15765 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15767 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15768 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15769 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15770 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15772 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15773 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15775 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15776 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15777 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15783 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15784 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15785 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15786 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
15787 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15792 @node Splitting in IMAP
15793 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15794 @cindex splitting imap mail
15796 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15797 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15798 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15799 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15800 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15804 Here are the variables of interest:
15808 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15809 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15811 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15813 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15814 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15816 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15818 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15819 @cindex splitting, inbox
15821 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15823 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15824 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15828 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15829 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15832 No nnmail equivalent.
15834 @item nnimap-split-rule
15835 @cindex Splitting, rules
15836 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15838 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15841 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15842 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15843 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15844 Neither did I, we need examples.
15847 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15849 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15850 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15851 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15854 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15855 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15856 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15858 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15859 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15863 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15866 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15867 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15869 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15870 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15871 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15872 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15874 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15875 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15876 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15877 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15878 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15879 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15881 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15882 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
15883 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
15885 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15886 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15887 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15889 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15891 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15892 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15893 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15896 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15897 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15898 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15899 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15900 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15901 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15904 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15905 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15906 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15907 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15908 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15909 group/function elements.
15911 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15913 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15915 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15917 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15918 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15920 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15921 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15922 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15925 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15926 @cindex splitting, fancy
15927 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15928 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15930 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15931 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15932 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15934 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15935 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15936 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15937 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15942 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15943 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15946 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15948 @item nnimap-split-download-body
15949 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
15950 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
15952 Set to non-nil to download entire articles during splitting. This is
15953 generally not required, and will slow things down considerably. You
15954 may need it if you want to use an advanced splitting function that
15955 analyses the body to split the article.
15959 @node Expiring in IMAP
15960 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15961 @cindex expiring imap mail
15963 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
15964 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
15965 Mail}). Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do
15966 not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
15967 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
15968 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
15971 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15972 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15973 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15974 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15975 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15976 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15977 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15978 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15982 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15983 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15985 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15986 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
15988 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15990 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15991 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15992 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15993 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15997 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15998 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15999 @cindex editing imap acls
16000 @cindex Access Control Lists
16001 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
16003 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16005 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
16006 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16007 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16010 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16011 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
16012 editing window with detailed instructions.
16014 Some possible uses:
16018 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16019 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16020 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16022 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16023 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16024 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
16028 @node Expunging mailboxes
16029 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16033 @cindex Manual expunging
16035 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16037 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16038 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16039 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16041 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16044 @node A note on namespaces
16045 @subsection A note on namespaces
16046 @cindex IMAP namespace
16049 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
16050 following text in the RFC:
16053 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16055 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16056 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16057 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16058 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16060 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16061 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16062 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16063 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16064 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16065 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16068 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
16069 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
16070 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16072 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
16073 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
16074 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
16075 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
16076 the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
16077 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
16078 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
16079 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
16081 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16082 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16083 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16085 @node Other Sources
16086 @section Other Sources
16088 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16089 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16093 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16094 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16095 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16096 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16097 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16101 @node Directory Groups
16102 @subsection Directory Groups
16104 @cindex directory groups
16106 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16107 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16110 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16111 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16112 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16113 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16115 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16116 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16117 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16118 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16119 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16121 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
16123 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16124 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16125 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16126 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16129 @node Anything Groups
16130 @subsection Anything Groups
16133 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16134 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16135 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16138 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16139 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16140 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16141 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16142 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16143 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16144 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16145 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16146 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16147 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16150 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16151 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16152 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16153 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16155 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16156 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16157 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16158 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16160 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16161 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16162 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16163 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16164 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16165 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16166 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16167 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16172 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16173 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16174 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16175 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16177 @item nneething-exclude-files
16178 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16179 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16180 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16182 @item nneething-include-files
16183 @vindex nneething-include-files
16184 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16185 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16187 @item nneething-map-file
16188 @vindex nneething-map-file
16189 Name of the map files.
16193 @node Document Groups
16194 @subsection Document Groups
16196 @cindex documentation group
16199 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16200 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16207 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
16212 The standard Unix mbox file.
16214 @cindex MMDF mail box
16216 The MMDF mail box format.
16219 Several news articles appended into a file.
16222 @cindex rnews batch files
16223 The rnews batch transport format.
16224 @cindex forwarded messages
16227 Forwarded articles.
16230 Netscape mail boxes.
16233 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
16235 @item standard-digest
16236 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16239 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
16241 @item lanl-gov-announce
16242 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16244 @item rfc822-forward
16245 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16248 The Outlook mail box.
16251 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16254 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16257 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16260 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16266 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16269 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16275 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16276 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16277 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16280 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16281 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16282 group. And that's it.
16284 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16285 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16286 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16287 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16288 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16289 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16290 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16291 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16292 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16293 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16295 Virtual server variables:
16298 @item nndoc-article-type
16299 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16300 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16301 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16302 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16303 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16304 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16306 @item nndoc-post-type
16307 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16308 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16309 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16314 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16318 @node Document Server Internals
16319 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16321 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16322 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16323 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16324 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16326 First, here's an example document type definition:
16330 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16331 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16334 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16335 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16336 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16337 types can be defined with very few settings:
16340 @item first-article
16341 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16342 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16345 @item article-begin
16346 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16347 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16349 @item head-begin-function
16350 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16353 @item nndoc-head-begin
16354 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16357 @item nndoc-head-end
16358 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16359 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16361 @item body-begin-function
16362 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16366 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16369 @item body-end-function
16370 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16374 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16377 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16378 regexp will be totally ignored.
16382 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16383 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16384 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16385 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16386 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16389 @item prepare-body-function
16390 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16391 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16392 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16394 @item article-transform-function
16395 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16396 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16397 body of the article.
16399 @item generate-head-function
16400 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16401 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16402 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16403 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16407 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16412 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16413 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16414 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16415 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16416 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16417 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16418 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16419 (subtype digest guess))
16422 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16423 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16424 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16425 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16426 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16428 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16429 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16430 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16431 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16432 The alist is traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is
16433 called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is
16434 called to see whether a document is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on.
16435 These type predicates should return @code{nil} if the document is not
16436 of the correct type; @code{t} if it is of the correct type; and a
16437 number if the document might be of the correct type. A high number
16438 means high probability; a low number means low probability with
16439 @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16447 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16448 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16449 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16451 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16452 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16453 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16456 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16457 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16458 that interested in doing things properly.
16460 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16461 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16464 First some terminology:
16469 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16470 get news and/or mail from.
16473 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16474 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16477 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16481 @item message packets
16482 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16483 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16484 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16486 @item response packets
16487 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16488 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16489 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16499 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16500 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16501 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16502 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16505 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16508 You put the packet in your home directory.
16511 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16512 the native or secondary server.
16515 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16516 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16519 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16523 You transfer this packet to the server.
16526 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16529 You then repeat until you die.
16533 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16534 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16537 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16538 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16539 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16543 @node SOUP Commands
16544 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16546 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16550 @kindex G s b (Group)
16551 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16552 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16553 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16554 process/prefix convention.
16557 @kindex G s w (Group)
16558 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16559 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16562 @kindex G s s (Group)
16563 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16564 Send all replies from the replies packet
16565 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16568 @kindex G s p (Group)
16569 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16570 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16573 @kindex G s r (Group)
16574 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16575 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16578 @kindex O s (Summary)
16579 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16580 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16581 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16582 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16587 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16592 @item gnus-soup-directory
16593 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16594 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16595 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16597 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16598 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16599 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16600 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16602 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16603 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16604 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16605 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16607 @item gnus-soup-packer
16608 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16609 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16610 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16612 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16613 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16614 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16615 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16617 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16618 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16619 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16621 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16622 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16623 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16624 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16630 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16633 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16634 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16635 you can read them at leisure.
16637 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16641 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16642 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16643 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16644 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16646 @item nnsoup-directory
16647 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16648 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16649 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16651 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16652 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16653 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16654 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16656 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16657 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16658 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16659 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16660 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16662 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16663 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16664 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16665 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16667 @item nnsoup-active-file
16668 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16669 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16670 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16671 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16672 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16674 @item nnsoup-packer
16675 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16676 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16677 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16679 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16680 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16681 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16682 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16684 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16685 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16686 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16689 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16690 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16691 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16694 @item nnsoup-always-save
16695 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16696 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16702 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16704 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16705 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16706 more for that to happen.
16708 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16709 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16710 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16713 In specific, this is what it does:
16716 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16717 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16720 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16721 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16722 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16725 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16726 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16727 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16730 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16731 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16732 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16734 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16740 @item nngateway-address
16741 @vindex nngateway-address
16742 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16744 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16745 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16746 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16747 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16748 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16749 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16750 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16753 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16754 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16755 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16758 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16761 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16764 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16767 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16769 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16772 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16773 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16774 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16776 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16778 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16779 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16780 @code{nngateway-address}.
16785 (setq gnus-post-method
16787 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16788 (nngateway-header-transformation
16789 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16797 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16800 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16805 @node Combined Groups
16806 @section Combined Groups
16808 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16812 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16813 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16817 @node Virtual Groups
16818 @subsection Virtual Groups
16820 @cindex virtual groups
16821 @cindex merging groups
16823 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16826 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16827 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16828 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16830 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16831 regexp to match component groups.
16833 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16834 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16835 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16836 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16837 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16838 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16839 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16840 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16842 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16843 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16846 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16849 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16850 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16852 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16853 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16854 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16855 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16858 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16861 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16862 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16863 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16865 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16866 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16867 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16868 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16869 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16871 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16872 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16873 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16875 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16876 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16877 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16878 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16879 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16880 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16881 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16882 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16883 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16884 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16885 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16887 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16888 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16889 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16890 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16891 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16892 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16893 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16895 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16896 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16898 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16899 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16903 @node Kibozed Groups
16904 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16908 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16909 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16910 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16911 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16913 @kindex G k (Group)
16914 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16917 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16918 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16919 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16920 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16922 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16923 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16924 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16926 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16927 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16928 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16929 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16930 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16931 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16932 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16933 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16935 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16936 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16937 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16938 Stranger things have happened.
16940 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16941 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16943 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16944 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16945 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16946 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16947 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16948 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16950 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16951 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16954 @node Gnus Unplugged
16955 @section Gnus Unplugged
16960 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16962 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16963 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16964 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16965 read news. Believe it or not.
16967 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16968 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16969 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16970 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16971 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16973 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16974 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16975 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16976 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16977 reading news on a machine.
16979 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16980 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16982 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16985 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16986 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16987 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16988 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16989 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16990 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
16991 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16992 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16993 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16994 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16995 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16996 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17001 @subsection Agent Basics
17003 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17005 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17006 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17007 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17008 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17010 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17011 connected to the net continuously.
17013 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17014 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17016 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17021 @findex gnus-unplugged
17022 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17023 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17024 already fetched while in this mode.
17027 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17028 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17029 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17030 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
17031 Source Specifiers}).
17034 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
17035 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
17036 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
17037 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
17038 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
17041 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17042 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17043 then you read the news offline.
17046 And then you go to step 2.
17049 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17055 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17056 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17057 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17058 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17059 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17060 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17061 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17062 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17066 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17067 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17068 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17069 is probably best to start with a category @xref{Agent Categories}.
17071 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17072 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17073 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17074 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17075 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17076 your policy, you can use grou parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17080 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17084 @node Agent Categories
17085 @subsection Agent Categories
17087 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17088 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17089 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17090 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17091 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17092 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17093 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17095 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17096 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17097 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17098 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17099 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17101 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17102 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17103 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17104 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17105 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17108 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17109 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17110 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17111 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17112 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17113 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17117 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17118 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17119 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17123 @node Category Syntax
17124 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17126 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17127 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17128 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17132 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17133 The name of the category.
17135 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17136 The list of groups that are in this category.
17138 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17139 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17140 are eligible for downloading; and
17142 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17143 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17144 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17145 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17147 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17148 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17149 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17150 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17151 only groups that should not be expired.
17153 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17154 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17155 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17157 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17158 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17160 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17161 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17163 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17164 an integer that overrides the value of
17165 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17167 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17168 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17171 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17174 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17175 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17176 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17179 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17180 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17181 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17182 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17184 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17185 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17186 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17188 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17189 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17190 operators sprinkled in between.
17192 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17194 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17195 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17201 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17202 short (for some value of ``short'').
17204 Here's a more complex predicate:
17213 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17214 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17217 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17218 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17219 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17221 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17222 you want to do, you can write your own.
17224 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17225 bound to the value determined by calling
17226 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17227 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17228 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17229 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17230 predicate to individual groups.
17234 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17235 lines; default 100.
17238 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17239 lines; default 200.
17242 True iff the article has a download score less than
17243 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17246 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17247 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17250 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17251 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17252 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17261 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17262 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17263 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17266 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17267 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17268 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17269 something along the lines of the following:
17272 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17273 "Say whether an article is old."
17274 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17275 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17278 with the predicate then defined as:
17281 (not my-article-old-p)
17284 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17285 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17289 (require 'gnus-agent)
17290 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17291 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17292 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17295 and simply specify your predicate as:
17301 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17302 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17303 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17304 just don't give a damn.
17306 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17307 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17308 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17309 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
17310 parameters like so:
17313 (agent-predicate . short)
17316 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17317 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17318 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17320 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17323 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17326 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17327 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17328 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17331 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17332 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17333 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17334 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17335 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17336 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17338 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17339 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17340 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17341 if it's to be specific to that group.
17343 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17350 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
17351 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17357 Category specification
17361 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17367 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17370 (agent-score ("from"
17371 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17376 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17382 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17383 keywords stated above.
17389 Category specification
17392 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17398 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17402 Group Parameter specification
17405 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17408 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17413 Use @code{normal} score files
17415 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17416 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17417 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17418 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17420 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17421 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17422 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17423 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17427 Category Specification
17434 Group Parameter specification
17437 (agent-score . file)
17442 @node Category Buffer
17443 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17445 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17446 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17447 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17449 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17453 @kindex q (Category)
17454 @findex gnus-category-exit
17455 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17458 @kindex e (Category)
17459 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17460 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17461 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17464 @kindex k (Category)
17465 @findex gnus-category-kill
17466 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17469 @kindex c (Category)
17470 @findex gnus-category-copy
17471 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17474 @kindex a (Category)
17475 @findex gnus-category-add
17476 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17479 @kindex p (Category)
17480 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17481 Edit the predicate of the current category
17482 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17485 @kindex g (Category)
17486 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17487 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17488 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17491 @kindex s (Category)
17492 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17493 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17494 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17497 @kindex l (Category)
17498 @findex gnus-category-list
17499 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17503 @node Category Variables
17504 @subsubsection Category Variables
17507 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17508 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17509 Hook run in category buffers.
17511 @item gnus-category-line-format
17512 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17513 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17514 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17518 The name of the category.
17521 The number of groups in the category.
17524 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17525 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17526 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17528 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17529 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17530 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17532 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17533 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17534 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17536 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17537 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17538 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17541 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17542 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17543 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17546 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17547 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17548 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17549 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17550 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17551 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17552 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17553 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
17557 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17558 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17559 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
17560 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
17561 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
17562 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
17563 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
17568 @node Agent Commands
17569 @subsection Agent Commands
17570 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17571 @kindex J j (Agent)
17573 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17574 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17575 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17579 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17580 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17581 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17587 @node Group Agent Commands
17588 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17592 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17593 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17594 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17595 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17598 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17599 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17600 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17603 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17604 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17605 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17606 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17609 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17610 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17611 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17612 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17615 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17616 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17617 Add the current group to an Agent category
17618 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17619 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17622 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17623 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17624 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17625 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17626 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17629 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17630 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17631 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17637 @node Summary Agent Commands
17638 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17642 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17643 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17644 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17647 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17648 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17649 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17650 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17654 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17655 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17656 Toggle whether to download the article
17657 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17661 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17662 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17663 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17666 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17667 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17668 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17669 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17672 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17673 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17674 Download all processable articles in this group.
17675 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17678 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17679 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17680 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17681 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17686 @node Server Agent Commands
17687 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17691 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17692 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17693 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17694 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17697 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17698 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17699 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17700 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17705 @node Agent as Cache
17706 @subsection Agent as Cache
17708 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17709 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17710 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17711 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17712 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17713 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17714 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17715 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17716 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17718 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17719 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
17720 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
17721 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
17722 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap backend.
17725 @subsection Agent Expiry
17727 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17728 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17729 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17730 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
17731 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
17732 @cindex Agent expiry
17733 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17736 The Agent backend, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
17737 least it doesn't handle it like other backends. Instead, there are
17738 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
17739 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
17740 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
17741 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
17742 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
17743 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
17745 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17746 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17747 synchronized with the group.
17749 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
17750 prevent expiration in selected groups.
17752 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17753 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
17754 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
17755 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
17756 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
17757 be kept indefinitely.
17759 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17760 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
17761 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
17762 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
17764 @node Agent Regeneration
17765 @subsection Agent Regeneration
17767 @cindex Agent Regeneration
17768 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
17769 @cindex regeneration
17771 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
17772 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
17773 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
17774 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
17775 internal inconsistencies.
17777 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
17778 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
17779 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
17780 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
17781 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
17782 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
17784 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17785 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
17786 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
17787 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
17788 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
17789 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
17791 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17792 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17793 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
17794 of individual articles to repair the local NOV(header) database. It
17795 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
17796 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
17799 @node Agent and IMAP
17800 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17802 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17803 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17804 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17805 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17807 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17808 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
17809 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17810 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17812 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17813 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17814 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17815 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17817 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17818 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17819 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17820 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17821 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17822 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17824 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17825 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17826 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17827 in the group buffer.
17829 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17830 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17835 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17838 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17842 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
17843 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17844 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17845 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17846 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17847 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
17848 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17849 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17852 @node Outgoing Messages
17853 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17855 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17856 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17857 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17859 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17860 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17861 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17862 messages in the draft group.
17866 @node Agent Variables
17867 @subsection Agent Variables
17870 @item gnus-agent-directory
17871 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17872 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17873 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17875 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17876 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17877 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17878 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17879 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17882 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17883 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17884 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17886 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17887 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17888 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17890 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17891 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17892 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
17894 @item gnus-agent-cache
17895 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17896 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17897 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17898 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17900 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17901 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17902 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17903 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17904 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17905 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17906 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17909 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17910 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17911 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
17912 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
17913 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
17914 read. The default is t.
17916 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17917 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17918 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
17919 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
17920 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
17922 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17923 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17924 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
17925 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
17926 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
17927 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
17928 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
17929 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
17930 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
17931 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
17932 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
17933 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
17936 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17937 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17938 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17939 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17940 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17941 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17942 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17943 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17944 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17946 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
17947 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
17948 Another variable that isn't a Agent variable, yet so closely related
17949 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
17950 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
17951 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
17953 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
17954 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
17955 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
17956 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
17957 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
17962 @node Example Setup
17963 @subsection Example Setup
17965 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17966 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17967 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17970 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17971 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17972 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17974 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17975 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17976 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17978 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17979 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17981 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17982 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17983 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17986 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17987 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17990 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17991 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17992 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17993 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17994 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17997 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17998 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17999 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18000 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18001 back all the killed groups.)
18003 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18004 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18005 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18008 @node Batching Agents
18009 @subsection Batching Agents
18010 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18012 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18013 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18014 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18016 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18017 following incantation:
18021 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18025 @node Agent Caveats
18026 @subsection Agent Caveats
18028 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18029 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18033 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18035 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18036 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18037 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18039 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18040 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18042 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18046 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18047 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18048 locally stored articles.
18055 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18056 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18057 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18060 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18061 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18062 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18063 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18064 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18066 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18067 before generating the summary buffer.
18069 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18070 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18071 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18073 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18074 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18075 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18076 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18079 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18080 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18081 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18082 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18083 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18084 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18085 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18086 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18087 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18088 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18089 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18090 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18091 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18092 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18093 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18094 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18095 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18099 @node Summary Score Commands
18100 @section Summary Score Commands
18101 @cindex score commands
18103 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18104 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18105 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18106 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18107 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18109 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18110 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18111 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18112 score file the current one.
18114 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18119 @kindex V s (Summary)
18120 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18121 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18124 @kindex V S (Summary)
18125 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18126 Display the score of the current article
18127 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18130 @kindex V t (Summary)
18131 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18132 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18133 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
18136 @kindex V w (Summary)
18137 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18138 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18141 @kindex V R (Summary)
18142 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18143 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18144 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18145 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18146 effect you're having.
18149 @kindex V c (Summary)
18150 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18151 Make a different score file the current
18152 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18155 @kindex V e (Summary)
18156 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18157 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18158 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18162 @kindex V f (Summary)
18163 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18164 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18165 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18168 @kindex V F (Summary)
18169 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18170 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18171 after editing score files.
18174 @kindex V C (Summary)
18175 @findex gnus-score-customize
18176 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18177 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18181 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18186 @kindex V m (Summary)
18187 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18188 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18189 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18192 @kindex V x (Summary)
18193 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18194 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18195 expunge all articles below this score
18196 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18199 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18200 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18203 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18204 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18208 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18209 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18211 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18212 keys are available:
18216 Score on the author name.
18219 Score on the subject line.
18222 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18225 Score on the @code{References} line.
18231 Score on the number of lines.
18234 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18237 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18238 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18241 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18242 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18243 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18252 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18258 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18259 what headers you are scoring on.
18271 Substring matching.
18274 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18303 Greater than number.
18308 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18309 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18310 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18315 Temporary score entry.
18318 Permanent score entry.
18321 Immediately scoring.
18325 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18326 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18327 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18331 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18332 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18333 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18334 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18336 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18337 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18338 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18339 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18340 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18342 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18343 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18344 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18345 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18346 current score file.
18348 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18349 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18350 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18353 @node Group Score Commands
18354 @section Group Score Commands
18355 @cindex group score commands
18357 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18362 @kindex W f (Group)
18363 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18364 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18365 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18366 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18370 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18372 @findex gnus-batch-score
18373 @cindex batch scoring
18375 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18379 @node Score Variables
18380 @section Score Variables
18381 @cindex score variables
18385 @item gnus-use-scoring
18386 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18387 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18388 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18390 @item gnus-kill-killed
18391 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18392 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18393 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18394 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18395 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18396 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18397 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18399 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18400 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18401 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18402 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18403 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18405 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18406 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18407 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18408 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18410 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18411 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18412 @cindex score cache
18413 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18414 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18415 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18416 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18417 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18418 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18419 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18422 @item gnus-save-score
18423 @vindex gnus-save-score
18424 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18425 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18426 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18428 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18429 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18430 across group visits.
18432 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18433 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18434 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18435 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18436 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18437 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18438 manually entered data.
18440 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18441 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18442 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18444 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18445 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18446 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18447 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18448 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18449 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18451 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18452 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18453 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18454 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18456 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18457 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18458 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18459 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18461 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18462 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18463 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18464 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18466 Predefined functions available are:
18469 @item gnus-score-find-single
18470 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18471 Only apply the group's own score file.
18473 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18474 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18475 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18476 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18477 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18478 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18479 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18480 then a regexp match is done.
18482 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18483 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18485 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18486 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18487 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18488 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18490 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18491 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18492 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18493 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18494 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18498 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18499 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18500 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18501 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18502 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18503 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18504 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18507 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18508 overall score file, you could use the value
18510 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18511 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18514 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18515 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18516 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18517 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18518 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18520 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18521 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18522 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18523 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18524 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18525 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18526 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18527 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18529 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18530 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18531 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18533 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18534 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18535 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
18536 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18537 threading---according to the current value of
18538 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
18539 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18540 simplified in this manner.
18545 @node Score File Format
18546 @section Score File Format
18547 @cindex score file format
18549 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18550 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18551 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18553 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18557 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18559 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18561 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18563 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18568 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18572 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18573 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18574 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18575 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18579 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18580 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18582 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18583 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18584 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18586 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18591 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18592 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18593 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18594 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18595 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18596 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18597 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18598 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18599 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18600 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18601 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18602 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18603 to articles that matches these score entries.
18605 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18606 score entry has one to four elements.
18610 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18611 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18615 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18616 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18617 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18618 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18619 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18620 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18623 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18624 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18625 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18626 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18627 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18630 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18631 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18632 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18633 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18636 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18637 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18638 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18639 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18640 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18641 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18642 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18643 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18644 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18645 instead, if you feel like.
18648 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18649 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18650 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18651 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18652 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18653 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18656 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18660 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18661 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18663 These predicates are true if
18666 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18669 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18670 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18677 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18678 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18679 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18680 it's not. I think.)
18682 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18683 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18684 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18685 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18688 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18689 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18690 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18691 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18692 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18693 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18694 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18698 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18699 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18700 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18701 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18702 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18703 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18704 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18705 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18708 @item Head, Body, All
18709 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18713 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18714 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18715 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18716 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18717 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18718 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18719 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18723 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18724 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18725 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18726 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18727 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18728 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18729 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18730 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18731 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18732 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18733 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18737 @cindex Score File Atoms
18739 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18740 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18743 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18744 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18746 @item mark-and-expunge
18747 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18748 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18751 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18752 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18753 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18754 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18755 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18758 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18759 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18762 @item exclude-files
18763 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18764 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18768 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18769 ignored when handling global score files.
18772 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18773 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18774 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18775 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18778 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18779 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18780 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18781 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18783 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18787 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18790 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18791 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18792 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18793 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18794 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18796 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18797 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18798 scoring rules exist.
18801 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18802 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18803 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18804 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18805 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18806 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18807 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18808 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18809 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18810 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18811 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18815 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18816 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18817 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18818 file for a number of groups.
18821 @cindex local variables
18822 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
18823 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
18824 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
18825 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
18826 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
18831 @node Score File Editing
18832 @section Score File Editing
18834 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18835 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18836 with a mode for that.
18838 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18839 additional commands:
18844 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18845 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18846 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18847 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18850 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18851 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18852 Insert the current date in numerical format
18853 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18854 you were wondering.
18857 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18858 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18859 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18860 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18861 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18866 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18868 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18869 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18871 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18872 e} to begin editing score files.
18875 @node Adaptive Scoring
18876 @section Adaptive Scoring
18877 @cindex adaptive scoring
18879 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18880 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18881 stupidity, to be precise.
18883 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18884 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18885 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18886 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18887 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18888 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18889 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18890 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18891 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18893 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18894 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18895 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18896 might look something like this:
18899 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18900 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18901 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18902 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18903 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18904 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18905 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18906 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18907 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18908 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18909 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18910 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18913 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18914 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18915 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18916 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18917 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18918 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18921 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18922 will be applied to each article.
18924 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18925 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
18926 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18927 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18929 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18930 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18931 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18932 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18934 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18935 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18936 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18937 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18939 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18940 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18941 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18942 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18943 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18944 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18946 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18947 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18948 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18950 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18951 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18952 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18954 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18955 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18956 let you use different rules in different groups.
18958 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18959 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18960 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18963 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18964 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18965 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18966 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18967 the length of the match is less than
18968 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18969 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18972 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18973 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18974 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18975 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18976 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18979 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18980 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18981 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18982 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18983 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18986 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18987 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18988 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18989 score with 30 points.
18991 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18992 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18993 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18994 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18995 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18997 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18998 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18999 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19000 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19001 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19003 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19004 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19005 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19006 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19008 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19009 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19010 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19011 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19013 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19014 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19015 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19016 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19017 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19019 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19020 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19021 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19023 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19024 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19025 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19026 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19029 @node Home Score File
19030 @section Home Score File
19032 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19033 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19034 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19035 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19037 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19038 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19039 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19041 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19042 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19047 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19051 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19052 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19056 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19060 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19061 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19064 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
19065 the home score file.
19068 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19071 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19076 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19079 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19080 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19083 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19084 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19086 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19088 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19089 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19092 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19093 Other functions include
19096 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19097 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19098 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19099 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19103 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19104 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19105 their own home score files:
19108 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19109 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
19110 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19111 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
19112 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19115 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19116 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19117 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19118 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19119 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19121 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19122 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19123 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19124 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19125 precedence over this variable.
19128 @node Followups To Yourself
19129 @section Followups To Yourself
19131 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19132 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19133 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19134 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19135 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19136 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19140 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19141 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19142 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19145 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19146 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19147 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19151 @vindex message-sent-hook
19152 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19153 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19155 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19159 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19160 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19164 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19165 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19168 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19169 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19174 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19178 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19179 is system-dependent.
19182 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19183 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19184 @cindex scoring on other headers
19186 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19187 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19188 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19189 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19190 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19192 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19193 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
19194 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
19195 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
19196 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19198 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19201 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19202 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19205 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19206 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19207 time if you have much mail.
19209 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19210 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19216 @section Scoring Tips
19217 @cindex scoring tips
19223 @cindex scoring crossposts
19224 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19225 the @code{Xref} header.
19227 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19230 @item Multiple crossposts
19231 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19232 more than, say, 3 groups:
19235 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19239 @item Matching on the body
19240 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19241 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19242 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19243 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19244 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19245 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19246 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19249 @item Marking as read
19250 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19251 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19252 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19256 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19258 @item Negated character classes
19259 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19260 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19261 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19265 @node Reverse Scoring
19266 @section Reverse Scoring
19267 @cindex reverse scoring
19269 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19270 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19271 like this in your score file:
19275 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19280 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19281 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19284 @node Global Score Files
19285 @section Global Score Files
19286 @cindex global score files
19288 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19289 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19290 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19292 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19293 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19294 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19296 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19297 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19298 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19299 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19300 files are applicable to which group.
19302 To use the score file
19303 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19304 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19308 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19309 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19310 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19313 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19315 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19316 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19317 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19318 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19320 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19321 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19323 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19324 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19325 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19326 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19327 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19328 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19330 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19336 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19338 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19340 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19342 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19343 lowered out of existence.
19345 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19346 articles completely.
19349 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19350 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19351 old articles for a long time.
19354 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19355 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19356 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19357 holding our breath yet?
19361 @section Kill Files
19364 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19365 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19366 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19368 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19369 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19370 files into score files.
19372 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19373 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19374 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19375 that isn't a very good idea.
19377 Normal kill files look like this:
19380 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19381 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19385 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19386 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19388 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19389 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19392 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
19397 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19398 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19399 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19402 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19403 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19404 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19407 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19412 @kindex M-k (Group)
19413 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19414 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19417 @kindex M-K (Group)
19418 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19419 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19422 Kill file variables:
19425 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19426 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19427 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19428 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19429 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19430 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19431 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19433 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19434 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19435 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19436 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19439 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19440 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19441 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19442 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19443 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19444 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19445 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19446 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19447 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19449 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19450 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19451 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19456 @node Converting Kill Files
19457 @section Converting Kill Files
19459 @cindex converting kill files
19461 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19462 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19463 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19466 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19467 You can fetch it from
19468 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19470 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19471 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19472 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19480 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
19481 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19482 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19483 news articles generated every day.
19485 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19486 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19487 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19488 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19489 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19490 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19491 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19492 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19495 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19496 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19499 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19500 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19501 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19502 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19506 @node Using GroupLens
19507 @subsection Using GroupLens
19509 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
19511 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
19512 better bit in town at the moment.
19514 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19518 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19519 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19520 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19521 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19523 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19524 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19525 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19526 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19528 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19529 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19530 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19534 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19535 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19536 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19537 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19538 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19539 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19542 @node Rating Articles
19543 @subsection Rating Articles
19545 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19546 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19547 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19548 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19551 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19556 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19557 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19558 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19561 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19562 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19563 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19564 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19565 threads in rec.humor.
19569 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19570 the score of the article you're reading.
19575 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19576 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19577 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19580 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19581 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19582 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19586 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19587 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19590 @node Displaying Predictions
19591 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19593 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19594 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19595 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19596 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19597 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19599 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19600 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19601 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19602 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19603 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19604 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19605 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19606 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19607 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19608 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19609 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19610 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19611 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19613 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19614 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19615 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19616 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19618 The following are valid values for that variable.
19621 @item prediction-spot
19622 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19625 @item confidence-interval
19626 A numeric confidence interval.
19628 @item prediction-bar
19629 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19631 @item confidence-bar
19632 Numerical confidence.
19634 @item confidence-spot
19635 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19637 @item prediction-num
19638 Plain-old numeric value.
19640 @item confidence-plus-minus
19641 Prediction +/- confidence.
19646 @node GroupLens Variables
19647 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19651 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19652 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19653 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19654 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19657 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19658 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19661 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19662 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19664 @item grouplens-score-offset
19665 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19666 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19669 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19670 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19671 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19676 @node Advanced Scoring
19677 @section Advanced Scoring
19679 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19680 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19681 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19682 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19683 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19685 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19689 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19690 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19691 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19695 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19696 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19698 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19699 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19700 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19701 non-@code{nil} value.
19703 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19704 operator, and various match operators.
19711 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19712 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19713 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19718 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19719 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19720 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19725 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19726 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19730 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19731 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19732 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19733 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19734 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19735 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19736 the ancestry you want to go.
19738 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19739 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19740 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19741 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19742 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19745 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19746 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19748 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19749 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19752 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19753 when he's talking about Gnus:
19757 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19758 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19764 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19768 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19775 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19776 really don't want to read what he's written:
19780 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19781 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19785 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19786 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19787 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19794 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19795 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19796 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19797 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19801 The possibilities are endless.
19804 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19805 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19807 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19808 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19809 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19810 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19811 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19812 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19813 @samp{subject}) first.
19815 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19816 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19827 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19828 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19834 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19841 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19842 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19847 @section Score Decays
19848 @cindex score decays
19851 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19852 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19853 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19854 use them in any sensible way.
19856 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19857 @findex gnus-decay-score
19858 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19859 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19860 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19861 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19862 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19863 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19864 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19865 definition of that function:
19868 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19870 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19871 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19874 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19876 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19878 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19881 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19882 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19883 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19884 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19888 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19891 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19894 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19898 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19899 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19900 the new score, which should be an integer.
19902 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19903 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19908 @include message.texi
19909 @chapter Emacs MIME
19910 @include emacs-mime.texi
19912 @include sieve.texi
19914 @c @include pgg.texi
19922 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19923 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19924 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19925 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19926 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19927 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19928 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19929 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19930 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19931 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19932 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19933 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19934 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19935 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19936 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19937 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19938 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19939 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19940 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19944 @node Process/Prefix
19945 @section Process/Prefix
19946 @cindex process/prefix convention
19948 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19949 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19951 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19952 command to be performed on.
19956 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19957 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19958 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19959 with the current one.
19961 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19962 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19963 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19965 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19966 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19969 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19970 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19972 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19975 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19976 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19977 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19978 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19980 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19981 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19982 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19983 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19984 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19985 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19986 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19987 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19989 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19990 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19991 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19992 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19993 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
19997 @section Interactive
19998 @cindex interaction
20002 @item gnus-novice-user
20003 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20004 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20005 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20006 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20007 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20010 @item gnus-expert-user
20011 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20012 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20013 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20014 matter how strange.
20016 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20017 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20018 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20019 is @code{t} by default.
20021 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20022 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20023 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20028 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20029 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20030 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20032 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20033 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20034 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20035 rule of 900 to the current article.
20037 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20038 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20039 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20040 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20041 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20042 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20043 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20045 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20046 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20047 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20048 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20049 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20050 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20051 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20052 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20053 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20055 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20056 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20057 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20059 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20063 @node Formatting Variables
20064 @section Formatting Variables
20065 @cindex formatting variables
20067 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20068 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20069 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20070 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20071 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20074 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20075 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20076 lots of percentages everywhere.
20079 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20080 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20081 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20082 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20083 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20084 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20085 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20086 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20089 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20090 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20091 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20092 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20093 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20094 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20095 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20096 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20098 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20099 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20101 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20102 @findex gnus-update-format
20103 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20104 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20105 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20106 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20110 @node Formatting Basics
20111 @subsection Formatting Basics
20113 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20114 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20115 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20117 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20118 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20119 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20120 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20121 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20124 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20125 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20126 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20127 less than 4 characters wide.
20129 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20130 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20133 @node Mode Line Formatting
20134 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20136 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20137 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20138 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20139 with the following two differences:
20144 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20147 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20148 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20149 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20150 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20151 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20152 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20153 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20158 @node Advanced Formatting
20159 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20161 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20162 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20163 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20164 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20166 These are the valid modifiers:
20171 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20175 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20180 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20183 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20188 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20191 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20194 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20197 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20203 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20208 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20209 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20210 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20211 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20212 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20213 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20214 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20216 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20217 last operation, padding.
20219 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20220 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20221 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20222 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20223 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20224 the look of your lines.
20225 @xref{Compilation}.
20228 @node User-Defined Specs
20229 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20231 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20232 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20233 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20234 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20235 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20236 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20237 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20238 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20239 should protect against that.
20241 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20242 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20244 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20245 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20246 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20247 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20251 @node Formatting Fonts
20252 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20254 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20255 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20256 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20257 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20260 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20261 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20262 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20263 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20264 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20265 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20267 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20268 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20269 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20270 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20271 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20272 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20273 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20274 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20275 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20276 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20277 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20280 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20283 ;; Create three face types.
20284 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20285 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20287 ;; We want the article count to be in
20288 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
20289 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
20290 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20292 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20293 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20295 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
20296 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20297 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20300 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20301 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20303 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20304 mode-line variables.
20306 @node Positioning Point
20307 @subsection Positioning Point
20309 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20310 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20311 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20313 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20315 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20316 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20317 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20319 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20320 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20321 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20326 @subsection Tabulation
20328 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20329 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20330 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20331 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20333 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
20334 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20336 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20337 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20338 This is the soft tabulator.
20340 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20341 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20342 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20345 @node Wide Characters
20346 @subsection Wide Characters
20348 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20349 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20350 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20352 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20353 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20354 these countries, that's not true.
20356 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20357 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20358 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20359 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20363 @node Window Layout
20364 @section Window Layout
20365 @cindex window layout
20367 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20369 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20370 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20371 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20372 @code{t} by default.
20374 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20375 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20377 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20378 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20379 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20382 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20383 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20384 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20388 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20389 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20390 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20391 possible names is listed below.
20393 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20394 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20397 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20401 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20402 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20403 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20404 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20405 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20406 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20407 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20408 size spec per split.
20410 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20411 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20412 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20413 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20414 present) gets focus.
20416 Here's a more complicated example:
20419 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20420 (summary 0.25 point)
20421 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20425 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20426 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20427 occupy, not a percentage.
20429 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20430 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20431 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20432 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20433 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20436 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20439 (article (horizontal 1.0
20444 (summary 0.25 point)
20449 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20450 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20452 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20453 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20454 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20455 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20456 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20458 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20459 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20460 lines from the splits.
20462 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20466 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20467 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20468 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20469 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20470 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20471 size = number | frame-params
20472 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20475 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20476 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20477 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20478 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20480 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20481 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20482 @cindex window height
20483 @cindex window width
20484 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20485 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20486 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20487 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20488 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20489 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20491 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20492 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20493 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20494 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20496 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20497 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20498 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20499 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20500 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20501 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20502 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20503 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20504 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20505 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20506 configuration list.
20509 (gnus-configure-frame
20513 (article 0.3 point))
20521 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20522 @code{frame} split:
20525 (gnus-configure-frame
20528 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20530 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20531 (user-position . t)
20532 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20537 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20538 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20539 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20540 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20541 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20542 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20543 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20544 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20546 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20547 be found in its default value.
20549 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20550 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20551 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20555 (message (horizontal 1.0
20556 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20558 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20563 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20564 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20565 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20570 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20571 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20572 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20573 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20574 (name . "Message"))
20575 (message 1.0 point))))
20578 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20579 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20580 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20581 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20582 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20585 (gnus-add-configuration
20586 '(article (vertical 1.0
20588 (summary .25 point)
20592 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20593 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20594 Gnus has been loaded.
20596 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20597 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20598 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20599 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20600 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20602 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20603 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20604 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20607 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20611 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20612 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20627 (gnus-add-configuration
20630 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20632 (summary 0.16 point)
20635 (gnus-add-configuration
20638 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20639 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20645 @node Faces and Fonts
20646 @section Faces and Fonts
20651 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20652 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20653 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20658 @section Compilation
20659 @cindex compilation
20660 @cindex byte-compilation
20662 @findex gnus-compile
20664 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20665 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20666 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
20667 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
20668 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
20669 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20670 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20671 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20674 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20675 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20676 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20677 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
20678 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20681 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
20682 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20683 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
20684 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
20685 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
20690 @section Mode Lines
20693 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20694 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20695 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20696 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20697 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20698 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20699 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20702 @cindex display-time
20704 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20705 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20706 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20707 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20708 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20709 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20710 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20711 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20714 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20716 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20717 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20719 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20720 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20721 (length display-time-string)))))
20724 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20725 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20726 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20727 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20728 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20731 @node Highlighting and Menus
20732 @section Highlighting and Menus
20734 @cindex highlighting
20737 @vindex gnus-visual
20738 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20739 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20740 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20743 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20744 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20747 @item group-highlight
20748 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20749 @item summary-highlight
20750 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20751 @item article-highlight
20752 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20754 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20756 Create menus in the group buffer.
20758 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20760 Create menus in the article buffer.
20762 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20764 Create menus in the server buffer.
20766 Create menus in the score buffers.
20768 Create menus in all buffers.
20771 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20772 buffers, you could say something like:
20775 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20778 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20781 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20784 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20785 in all Gnus buffers.
20787 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20790 @item gnus-mouse-face
20791 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20792 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20793 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20797 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20801 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20802 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20803 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20805 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20806 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20807 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20809 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20810 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20811 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20813 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20814 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20815 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20817 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20818 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20819 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20821 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20822 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20823 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20834 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20835 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20836 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20837 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20838 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20842 @vindex gnus-carpal
20843 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20844 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20845 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20850 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20851 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20852 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20854 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20855 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20856 Face used on buttons.
20858 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20859 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20860 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20862 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20863 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20864 Buttons in the group buffer.
20866 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20867 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20868 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20870 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20871 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20872 Buttons in the server buffer.
20874 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20875 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20876 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20879 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20880 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20881 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20889 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20890 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20891 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20892 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20893 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20895 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20896 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20897 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20899 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20900 been idle for thirty minutes:
20903 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20906 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20910 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20913 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20914 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20915 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20917 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20918 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20919 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20920 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20922 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20923 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20924 @var{idle} minutes.
20926 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20927 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20930 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20931 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20932 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20934 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20935 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20936 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20937 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20939 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20940 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20942 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20944 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20947 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20948 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20949 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20950 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20951 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20952 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20953 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20954 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20955 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20956 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20957 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20959 @findex gnus-demon-init
20960 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20961 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20962 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20963 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20964 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20966 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20967 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20968 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20977 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20978 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20980 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20981 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20982 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20983 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20986 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20987 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20988 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20989 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20991 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20992 this will make spam disappear.
20994 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20997 @item gnus-use-nocem
20998 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20999 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21002 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21003 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21004 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21005 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21006 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
21008 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21009 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21010 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21011 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
21012 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
21013 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21015 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
21016 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21018 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21019 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21020 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21021 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21022 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21023 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21024 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21025 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21026 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21027 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21029 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21030 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21033 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21036 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21037 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21040 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21043 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21046 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21047 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21049 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21050 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21051 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21052 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21054 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21055 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21058 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21060 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21068 This might be dangerous, though.
21070 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21071 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21072 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
21073 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21075 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21076 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21077 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21078 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21079 might then see old spam.
21081 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21082 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21083 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21084 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21085 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21088 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21089 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21090 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21091 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21095 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21096 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21097 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21098 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21105 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21106 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21107 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21109 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21110 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21111 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21112 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21113 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21114 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21115 @code{undo} function.
21117 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21118 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21119 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21120 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21121 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21122 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21123 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21124 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21125 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21126 never be totally undoable.
21128 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21129 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21131 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21132 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21133 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21134 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21138 @node Predicate Specifiers
21139 @section Predicate Specifiers
21140 @cindex predicate specifiers
21142 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21143 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21144 to type all that much.
21146 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21151 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21152 gnus-article-unread-p)
21155 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21156 functions all take one parameter.
21158 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21159 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21160 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21161 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21166 @section Moderation
21169 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21170 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21171 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21174 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21178 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21181 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
21183 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21188 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21189 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21190 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21193 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21194 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21197 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21198 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21202 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21205 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21206 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21210 @node Image Enhancements
21211 @section Image Enhancements
21213 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
21214 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
21217 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21218 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21219 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21220 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21233 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21234 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
21235 over your shoulder as you read news.
21237 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21246 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21247 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21248 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21249 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21250 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21251 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21252 @code{GIF} formats.
21255 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21256 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21257 point your Web browser at
21258 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21260 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21261 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21263 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21264 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21267 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21271 @item gnus-picon-databases
21272 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21273 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21274 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21275 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21276 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21278 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21279 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21280 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21281 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21283 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21284 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21285 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21286 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21288 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21289 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21290 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21291 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21292 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21294 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21295 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21296 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21297 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
21302 @subsection Smileys
21307 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21312 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21313 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21315 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21316 @file{.gnus.el} file:
21319 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21322 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21323 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21324 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21325 text and maps that to file names.
21327 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21328 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21329 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21330 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21331 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21334 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21339 @item smiley-data-directory
21340 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21341 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21343 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21344 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21345 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21354 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21355 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21356 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21360 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21361 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
21362 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21363 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21371 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21372 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21373 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21374 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21376 The variable that controls this is the
21377 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21378 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21379 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21380 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21381 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21383 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21384 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21385 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21386 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21389 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21390 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21391 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21392 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21393 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21394 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21395 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21396 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21398 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21401 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21402 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21404 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21405 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21406 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21407 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21408 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21409 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21410 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21411 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21412 header data as a string.
21414 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21415 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21416 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21417 randomly generated data.
21419 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21420 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21421 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21422 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21423 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21425 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21426 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
21429 (setq message-required-news-headers
21430 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21431 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21434 Using the last function would be something like this:
21437 (setq message-required-news-headers
21438 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21439 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21440 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21441 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21446 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21449 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21450 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21451 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21452 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21453 unusual directory structure.
21455 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21456 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21457 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21458 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21460 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21461 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21462 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21463 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21464 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21465 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21467 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21468 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21469 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21474 @subsubsection Toolbar
21478 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21479 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21480 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21481 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21482 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21484 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21485 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21486 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21488 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21489 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21490 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21492 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21493 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21494 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21505 @node Fuzzy Matching
21506 @section Fuzzy Matching
21507 @cindex fuzzy matching
21509 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21510 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21512 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21513 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21514 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21516 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21517 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21518 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21519 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21520 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21523 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21524 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21528 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21530 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21531 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21532 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21533 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21534 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21535 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21536 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21537 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21540 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21541 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21542 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21543 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21544 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21545 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21547 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21550 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21551 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21552 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21553 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21554 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21555 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21558 @node The problem of spam
21559 @subsection The problem of spam
21561 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21562 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21564 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21566 First, some background on spam.
21568 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21569 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21570 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21571 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21572 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21573 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21574 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21575 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21577 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21578 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21579 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21580 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21581 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21582 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21583 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21584 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21585 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21588 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21589 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21590 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21591 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21592 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21593 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21594 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21595 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21596 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21597 mail can be useful.
21599 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21600 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21601 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21602 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21603 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21604 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21605 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21606 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21607 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21609 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21610 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21611 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21612 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21613 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21614 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21615 because of the incident.
21617 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21618 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21619 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21620 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21621 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21622 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21623 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21624 to store the database of spam analyses.
21626 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21627 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21631 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21633 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21634 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21636 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21637 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21638 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21639 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21640 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21641 part of the mail address.)
21644 (setq message-default-news-headers
21645 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21648 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21649 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21654 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21655 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21656 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21662 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21663 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21664 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21665 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21667 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21668 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21669 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21670 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21671 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21672 your fancy split rule in this way:
21677 (to "larsi" "misc")
21681 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21682 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21683 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21684 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21685 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21687 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21688 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21689 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21690 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21691 cosmic balance somewhat.
21693 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21694 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21695 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21696 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21701 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21702 @cindex SpamAssassin
21703 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21706 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21707 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21708 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21709 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21710 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21711 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21712 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21714 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21715 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21716 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21717 Specifiers}) follows.
21721 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21724 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21727 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21728 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21729 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21732 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21736 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21739 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21740 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21744 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21745 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21746 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21747 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21750 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21752 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21754 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21755 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21757 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21759 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21760 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21764 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21765 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21766 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21769 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21770 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21772 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21773 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21774 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21778 @subsection Hashcash
21781 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21782 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21783 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21784 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21785 in smaller communities.
21787 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21788 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21789 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21790 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21791 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21792 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21793 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21794 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21795 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21796 one of them separately.
21799 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21800 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21801 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21802 header. For more details, and for the external application
21803 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21804 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21805 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21807 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21811 (require 'hashcash)
21812 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21815 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21816 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21817 development contrib directory.
21819 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21823 @item hashcash-default-payment
21824 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21825 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21826 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21827 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21829 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21830 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21831 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21832 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
21833 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
21834 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
21835 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
21836 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
21837 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21841 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21845 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21846 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21847 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21848 a useful contribution, however.
21850 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21851 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21852 @cindex spam filtering
21855 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21856 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21857 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21858 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21861 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21862 the following keyboard commands:
21872 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21873 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21875 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
21876 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21877 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21878 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21884 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21885 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21887 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
21893 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21894 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21897 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21898 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21899 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21900 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21901 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21902 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21903 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21904 will be detected later.
21906 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21907 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21908 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21909 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21910 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21911 by customizing the corresponding variable
21912 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21913 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21914 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21915 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21916 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21917 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21918 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21921 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21922 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21923 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
21924 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
21925 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
21926 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21927 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21928 will study them as spam samples.
21930 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21931 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21932 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21933 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21934 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21935 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21936 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21937 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21939 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21940 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21941 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21942 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21945 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21946 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21947 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21950 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21951 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21952 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21953 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21954 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21955 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
21958 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21959 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21960 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21961 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21962 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21963 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
21964 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
21965 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
21966 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
21967 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21968 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21970 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21971 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21973 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21974 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21975 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
21976 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
21977 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
21978 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
21979 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
21980 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
21981 the spam articles are only expired.
21983 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21984 must add the following to your fancy split list
21985 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21991 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21992 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21993 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21995 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21996 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21997 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21998 but you can customize it.
22000 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22002 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22003 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22004 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
22005 message headers. If you use spam-check-bogofilter, spam-check-ifile,
22006 or spam-check-stat (the splitters that can benefit from the full
22007 message body), you should set this variable. It is not set by default
22008 because it will slow IMAP down.
22010 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22012 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22013 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22014 longer spam or ham.}
22016 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22017 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22020 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22021 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22024 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22025 * BBDB Whitelists::
22027 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22029 * ifile spam filtering::
22030 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22031 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22034 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22035 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22036 @cindex spam filtering
22037 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22038 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22041 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22043 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22044 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22045 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22046 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22051 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22053 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22054 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22055 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22056 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22057 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22061 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22063 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22064 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22065 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22069 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22071 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22072 customizing the group parameters or the
22073 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22074 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22075 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22079 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22081 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22082 customizing the group parameters or the
22083 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22084 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22085 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22086 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22087 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22091 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22092 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22093 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22094 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22095 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22097 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22098 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22099 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22100 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22102 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22103 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22104 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22105 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22106 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22107 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22109 @node BBDB Whitelists
22110 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22111 @cindex spam filtering
22112 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22113 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22116 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22118 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22119 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22120 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22121 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22122 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22123 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22124 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22128 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22130 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22131 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22132 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22133 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22134 classified as spammers.
22138 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22140 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22141 customizing the group parameters or the
22142 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22143 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22144 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22145 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22146 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22151 @subsubsection Blackholes
22152 @cindex spam filtering
22153 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22156 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22158 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22159 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22160 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22161 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22162 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22163 contains outdated servers.
22165 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22166 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22167 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
22168 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
22169 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
22170 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22174 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22176 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22180 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22182 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22183 blackhole server list. When set to nil, it has no effect.
22187 @defvar spam-use-dig
22189 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22190 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22194 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22195 ham processor for blackholes.
22197 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22198 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22199 @cindex spam filtering
22200 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22203 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22205 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22206 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22207 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22208 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22209 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22210 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22214 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22216 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22217 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22221 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22223 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22224 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22228 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22229 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22232 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22233 @cindex spam filtering
22234 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22237 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22239 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22242 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22243 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22244 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22245 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22246 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22247 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22249 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
22250 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
22253 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22254 processing will be turned off.
22256 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22260 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22262 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22263 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22264 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22265 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22266 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22267 installation documents for details.
22269 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22273 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22274 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22275 customizing the group parameters or the
22276 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22277 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22278 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22281 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22282 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22283 customizing the group parameters or the
22284 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22285 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22286 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22287 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22288 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22291 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22293 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22294 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22295 database directory.
22299 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
22300 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22301 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22302 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22303 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22304 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22306 @node ifile spam filtering
22307 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22308 @cindex spam filtering
22309 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22312 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22314 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
22315 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22319 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22321 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22322 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22323 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22327 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22329 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22330 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22331 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22334 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22336 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22337 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22341 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22342 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22343 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22344 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22347 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22348 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22349 @cindex spam filtering
22350 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22354 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22356 @defvar spam-use-stat
22358 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22359 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22363 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22364 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22365 customizing the group parameters or the
22366 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22367 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22368 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22371 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22372 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22373 customizing the group parameters or the
22374 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22375 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22376 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22377 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22378 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22381 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
22382 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
22383 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
22384 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
22387 @node Extending the spam elisp package
22388 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
22389 @cindex spam filtering
22390 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
22391 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
22393 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
22394 incoming mail, provide the following:
22402 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
22403 "True if blackbox should be used.")
22408 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
22410 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
22415 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
22416 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
22417 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
22419 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
22420 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
22421 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
22425 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
22432 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
22433 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
22436 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22437 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
22438 Only applicable to spam groups.")
22440 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22441 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
22442 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
22450 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
22451 (spam-generic-register-routine
22452 ;; the spam function
22454 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22455 (when (stringp from)
22456 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22457 ;; the ham function
22460 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22461 (spam-generic-register-routine
22462 ;; the spam function
22464 ;; the ham function
22466 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22467 (when (stringp from)
22468 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22471 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22472 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22473 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22474 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22475 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22476 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22481 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22482 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22483 @cindex Paul Graham
22484 @cindex Graham, Paul
22485 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22486 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22487 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22489 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22490 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22491 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22492 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22493 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22494 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22495 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22496 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22497 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22500 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22501 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22502 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22503 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22504 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22505 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22506 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22507 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22509 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22510 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22511 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22512 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22513 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22516 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22517 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22518 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22521 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22522 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22524 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22525 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22526 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22527 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22528 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22530 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22531 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22532 per mail. Use the following:
22534 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22535 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22536 is treated as one spam mail.
22539 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22540 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22541 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22544 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22545 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22546 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22547 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22548 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22549 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22551 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
22552 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
22553 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22554 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22555 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22558 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
22559 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22560 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22561 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22564 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22565 reset the dictionary.
22567 @defun spam-stat-reset
22568 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22571 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22572 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22573 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22574 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22575 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22576 only non-spam mails.
22578 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22579 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22580 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22583 @defun spam-stat-save
22584 Save the dictionary.
22587 @defvar spam-stat-file
22588 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22589 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22592 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22593 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22595 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22596 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22599 (require 'spam-stat)
22603 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22606 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22607 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22608 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22609 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22611 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22612 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22613 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22614 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22617 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22618 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22622 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22623 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22626 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22627 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22628 expression are considered potential spam.
22631 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22632 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22633 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22637 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22638 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22639 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22640 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22641 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22644 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22645 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22646 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22650 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22651 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22652 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22653 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22654 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22658 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22659 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22660 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22661 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22666 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22667 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22669 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22671 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22672 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22673 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22676 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22677 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22678 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22681 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22682 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22683 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22684 already been processed as non-spam.
22687 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22688 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22689 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22690 been processed as spam.
22693 @defun spam-stat-save
22694 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22695 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22698 @defun spam-stat-load
22699 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22700 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22703 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22704 Return the spam score for a word.
22707 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22708 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22711 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22712 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22713 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22716 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22717 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22720 (require 'spam-stat)
22724 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22727 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22728 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22729 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22730 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22731 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22732 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22733 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22734 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22735 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22736 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22737 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22738 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22739 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22740 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22743 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22746 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22747 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22748 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22749 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22750 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22751 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22754 @node Various Various
22755 @section Various Various
22761 @item gnus-home-directory
22762 @vindex gnus-home-directory
22763 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
22764 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
22766 @item gnus-directory
22767 @vindex gnus-directory
22768 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
22769 this variable, which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment
22770 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22772 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22773 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22774 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22775 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22777 @item gnus-default-directory
22778 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22779 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22780 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22781 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22782 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22783 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22784 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22787 @vindex gnus-verbose
22788 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22789 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22790 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22791 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22792 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22794 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22795 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22796 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22797 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22799 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22800 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22801 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22802 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22803 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22804 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22805 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22806 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22807 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22808 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22810 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22811 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22812 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22813 read when doing the operation described above.
22815 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22816 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22818 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22819 @cindex characters in file names
22820 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22821 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22822 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22825 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22829 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22830 Windows (phooey) systems.
22832 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22833 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22834 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22835 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22836 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22838 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22839 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22840 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22841 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22842 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22844 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22845 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22846 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22848 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22849 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22851 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22852 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22853 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22854 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22857 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22865 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22866 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22868 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22870 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22876 Not because of victories @*
22879 but for the common sunshine,@*
22881 the largess of the spring.
22885 but for the day's work done@*
22886 as well as I was able;@*
22887 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22888 but at the common table.@*
22893 @chapter Appendices
22896 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22897 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22898 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22899 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22900 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22901 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22902 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22903 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22904 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22911 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22913 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22914 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22915 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22916 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22917 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22918 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22925 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22926 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22928 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22929 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22930 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22931 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22932 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22934 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22935 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22936 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22937 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22938 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22939 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22941 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22942 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22943 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22944 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22947 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22948 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22949 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22950 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22951 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22952 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22953 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22954 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22955 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22959 @node Gnus Versions
22960 @subsection Gnus Versions
22962 @cindex September Gnus
22964 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22965 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22969 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22970 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22971 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22973 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22974 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22976 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22977 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22979 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22980 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22982 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22983 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22986 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22988 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22989 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22990 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22991 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22992 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22993 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22996 @node Other Gnus Versions
22997 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23000 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23001 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23002 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
23003 @sc{mime} capabilities.
23005 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23006 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23007 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23008 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23015 What's the point of Gnus?
23017 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23018 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23019 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23020 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23021 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23022 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23023 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23024 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23025 keep track of millions of people who post?
23027 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23028 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23029 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23030 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23031 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23032 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23033 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23034 every one of you to explore and invent.
23036 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23037 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23040 @node Compatibility
23041 @subsection Compatibility
23043 @cindex compatibility
23044 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23045 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23046 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23051 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23055 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23058 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23061 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23062 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23063 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23064 important variables have their values copied into their global
23065 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23066 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23068 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23069 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23070 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23071 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23072 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23076 @cindex highlighting
23077 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23078 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23079 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23080 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23081 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23082 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23085 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23086 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23087 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23088 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23090 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23091 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23092 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23093 to stop doing it the old way.
23095 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23097 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23099 @cindex reporting bugs
23101 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23102 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23103 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23105 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23106 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23107 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23108 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23113 @subsection Conformity
23115 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23116 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23124 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23128 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23130 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23131 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23132 We do have some breaches to this one.
23138 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23139 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23140 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23141 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23142 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23147 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23148 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23149 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23150 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23152 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23154 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
23156 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23157 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23159 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23162 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
23163 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
23164 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
23165 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
23166 decoding (verification and decryption).
23168 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
23169 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
23170 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
23171 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
23173 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
23174 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
23176 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
23177 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
23178 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
23179 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
23180 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
23181 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
23182 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
23186 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23187 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23192 @subsection Emacsen
23198 Gnus should work on :
23206 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
23210 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23211 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23212 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
23213 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
23214 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
23216 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23217 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23218 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23222 @node Gnus Development
23223 @subsection Gnus Development
23225 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23226 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23227 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23228 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23229 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23230 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23231 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23232 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23234 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23235 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23236 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23237 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23238 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23241 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23242 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23243 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23244 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23245 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23247 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23248 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23249 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23250 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23251 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23252 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23253 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23254 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23255 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23256 can't be assumed to do so.
23261 @subsection Contributors
23262 @cindex contributors
23264 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23265 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23266 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23267 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23268 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23269 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23270 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23271 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23272 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23273 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23275 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23281 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23284 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23285 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
23286 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
23287 functionality and stuff.
23290 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
23291 well as numerous other things).
23294 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
23297 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
23300 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
23303 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
23306 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
23307 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
23310 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
23313 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
23314 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23317 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
23320 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
23323 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
23326 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
23329 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
23330 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
23333 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
23336 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
23339 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
23342 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
23346 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
23349 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
23352 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
23355 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
23356 well as autoconf support.
23360 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
23361 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
23363 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
23372 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
23376 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
23386 Alexei V. Barantsev,
23401 Massimo Campostrini,
23406 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
23407 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
23411 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
23414 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
23420 Michael Welsh Duggan,
23425 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
23429 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
23437 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
23439 Michelangelo Grigni,
23443 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
23445 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
23447 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
23454 François Felix Ingrand,
23455 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
23456 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23458 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23469 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23470 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23472 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23473 Thor Kristoffersen,
23476 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23494 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23495 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23502 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23507 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23511 John McClary Prevost,
23517 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23522 Christian von Roques,
23525 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23532 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23534 Randal L. Schwartz,
23548 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23553 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23569 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
23574 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23575 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23576 (550kB and counting).
23578 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23581 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23582 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23586 @subsection New Features
23587 @cindex new features
23590 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23591 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23592 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23593 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23594 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23597 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23598 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23599 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23602 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23604 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23609 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23610 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23613 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23614 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23617 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23620 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23621 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23622 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23625 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23626 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23627 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23628 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23631 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23632 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23635 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23636 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23637 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23640 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23641 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23644 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23645 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23646 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23649 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23650 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23651 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23654 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23655 the @file{.emacs} file.
23658 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23659 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23662 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23663 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23666 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23667 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23670 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23671 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23674 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23675 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23678 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23681 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23682 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23685 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23686 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23689 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23690 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23693 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23696 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23697 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23700 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23704 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23708 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23709 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23712 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23718 @node September Gnus
23719 @subsubsection September Gnus
23723 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23727 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23732 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23733 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23737 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23738 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23742 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23746 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23747 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23750 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23754 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23757 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23760 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23763 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23767 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23768 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23771 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23775 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23779 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23783 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23787 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23790 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23791 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23794 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23798 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23799 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23802 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23805 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23806 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23807 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23810 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23814 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23817 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23821 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23822 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23825 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23826 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23829 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23830 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23833 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23834 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23835 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23838 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23839 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23842 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23845 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23848 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23851 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23854 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23855 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23858 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23862 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23865 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23870 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23873 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23877 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23880 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23884 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23887 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23890 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23891 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23894 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23895 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23899 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23900 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23903 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23907 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23908 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23911 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23914 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23918 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23922 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23923 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23926 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23930 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23931 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23934 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23935 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23938 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23942 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23945 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23948 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23954 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23956 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23960 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23967 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23970 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23971 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23974 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23975 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23979 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23980 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23983 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23986 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23987 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23990 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23994 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23995 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23999 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24000 Server Internals}).
24003 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24007 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24010 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24011 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24014 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24015 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24016 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24019 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24020 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24023 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24024 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24027 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24031 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24032 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24035 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24036 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24039 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24043 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24046 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24050 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24051 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24054 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24055 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24058 A new command for reading collections of documents
24059 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24060 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24063 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24067 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
24068 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24071 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24072 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24073 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24076 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24077 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24081 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24085 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24089 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24094 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24098 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24102 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24103 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24106 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24112 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24114 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24119 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24120 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
24121 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
24124 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24125 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24126 group, which is created automatically.
24129 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24133 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24136 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24137 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24140 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24144 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24147 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24148 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24151 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24154 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
24155 Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
24158 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
24159 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
24162 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
24163 control over simplification.
24166 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
24169 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
24173 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
24176 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
24179 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
24180 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
24181 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
24184 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
24185 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
24188 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24192 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24193 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24196 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24197 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
24200 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24204 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24207 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24210 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24211 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24214 A new function for citing in Message has been
24215 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24218 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24221 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24225 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24226 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24229 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24230 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24233 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24236 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24240 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24241 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24243 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24248 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24249 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24251 If you used procmail like in
24254 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24255 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24256 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24257 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24260 this now has changed to
24264 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24268 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
24269 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
24272 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24273 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24276 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24277 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24280 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
24281 called to position point.
24284 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
24285 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
24288 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
24289 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
24292 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
24293 subtly different manner.
24296 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
24297 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
24298 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
24301 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
24309 @section The Manual
24313 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
24314 either @code{texi2dvi}
24316 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
24317 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
24319 to get what you hold in your hands now.
24321 The following conventions have been used:
24326 This is a @samp{string}
24329 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
24332 This is a @file{file}
24335 This is a @code{symbol}
24339 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
24343 (setq flargnoze "yes")
24346 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
24349 (setq flumphel 'yes)
24352 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
24353 ever get them confused.
24357 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
24358 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
24359 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
24360 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
24361 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
24362 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
24363 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
24369 @node On Writing Manuals
24370 @section On Writing Manuals
24372 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
24373 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
24374 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
24375 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
24376 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
24377 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
24380 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
24381 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
24382 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
24385 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
24386 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
24391 @section Terminology
24393 @cindex terminology
24398 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
24399 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
24400 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
24401 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
24402 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
24406 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
24407 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
24408 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
24409 not posting, and replying is not following up.
24413 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
24417 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
24422 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
24423 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
24424 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
24425 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
24426 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
24427 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
24428 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
24429 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
24430 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
24432 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
24433 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
24434 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
24435 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
24436 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
24439 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
24440 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
24441 access the articles.
24443 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
24444 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
24445 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
24450 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
24451 default, way of getting news.
24455 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
24456 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
24461 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
24462 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
24466 A message that has been posted as news.
24469 @cindex mail message
24470 A message that has been mailed.
24474 A mail message or news article
24478 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24483 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24488 A line from the head of an article.
24492 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24493 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
24497 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24498 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24499 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24500 normal @sc{head} format.
24504 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24505 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24506 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24507 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24508 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24509 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24511 @item killed groups
24512 @cindex killed groups
24513 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24514 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24516 @item zombie groups
24517 @cindex zombie groups
24518 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24521 @cindex active file
24522 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24523 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24524 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24527 @cindex bogus groups
24528 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24529 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24530 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24533 @cindex activating groups
24534 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24535 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24536 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24540 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24542 @item select method
24543 @cindex select method
24544 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24547 @item virtual server
24548 @cindex virtual server
24549 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24550 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24551 whole is a virtual server.
24555 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24556 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24559 @item ephemeral groups
24560 @cindex ephemeral groups
24561 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24562 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24563 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24566 @cindex solid groups
24567 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24568 group buffer are solid groups.
24570 @item sparse articles
24571 @cindex sparse articles
24572 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24573 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24577 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24578 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24582 @cindex thread root
24583 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24584 articles in the thread.
24588 An article that has responses.
24592 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24596 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24597 specified by RFC 1153.
24603 @node Customization
24604 @section Customization
24605 @cindex general customization
24607 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24608 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24609 for some quite common situations.
24612 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24613 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24614 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24615 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24619 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24620 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24622 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24623 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24624 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24628 @item gnus-read-active-file
24629 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24630 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24631 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24632 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24633 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24635 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24636 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24637 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24638 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24642 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24643 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24645 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24646 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24647 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24651 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24652 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24653 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24654 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24655 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24657 @item gnus-visible-headers
24658 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24659 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24660 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24661 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24663 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24665 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24666 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24667 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24670 @item gnus-use-full-window
24671 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24672 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24673 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24674 want to read them anyway.
24676 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24677 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24681 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24682 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24683 lines, which might save some time.
24687 @node Little Disk Space
24688 @subsection Little Disk Space
24691 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24692 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24696 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24697 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24698 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24699 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24702 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24703 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24704 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24705 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24708 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24709 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24710 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24711 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24712 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24718 @subsection Slow Machine
24719 @cindex slow machine
24721 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24722 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24724 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24725 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24727 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24728 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24729 summary buffer faster.
24733 @node Troubleshooting
24734 @section Troubleshooting
24735 @cindex troubleshooting
24737 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24745 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24748 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24749 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24753 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24754 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
24755 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
24756 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
24757 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24760 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24764 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24765 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24766 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24767 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24768 something like that.
24771 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24774 @cindex reporting bugs
24776 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24778 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24779 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24780 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24781 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24783 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24784 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24785 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24786 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24789 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24790 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24791 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24792 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24793 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24794 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24796 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24797 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24798 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24802 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24803 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24806 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24807 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24808 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24809 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24810 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24811 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24812 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24813 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24814 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24815 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24816 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24817 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24818 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24819 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24824 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24825 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24826 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
24827 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24828 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24829 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24830 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24831 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24832 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24833 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET message}. Then perform
24834 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24835 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24836 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24837 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24838 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24839 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24840 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24841 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24843 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24844 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24846 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24847 @cindex ding mailing list
24848 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@email{ding@@gnus.org}.
24849 Write to @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24853 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24854 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24856 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24857 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24858 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24859 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24862 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24863 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24864 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24865 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24866 and general methods of operation.
24869 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24870 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24871 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24872 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24873 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24874 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24875 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24876 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24877 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24881 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24882 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24883 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24884 @cindex utility functions
24886 @cindex internal variables
24888 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24889 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24890 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24894 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24895 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24896 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24898 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24899 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24900 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24902 @item gnus-group-real-name
24903 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24904 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24907 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24908 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24909 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24910 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24912 @item gnus-get-info
24913 @findex gnus-get-info
24914 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24916 @item gnus-group-unread
24917 @findex gnus-group-unread
24918 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24922 @findex gnus-active
24923 The active entry for @var{group}.
24925 @item gnus-set-active
24926 @findex gnus-set-active
24927 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24929 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24930 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24931 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24934 @item gnus-continuum-version
24935 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24936 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24937 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24940 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24941 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24942 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24944 @item gnus-news-group-p
24945 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24946 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24948 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24949 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24950 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24952 @item gnus-server-to-method
24953 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24954 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24956 @item gnus-server-equal
24957 @findex gnus-server-equal
24958 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24960 @item gnus-group-native-p
24961 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24962 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24964 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24965 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24966 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24968 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24969 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24970 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24972 @item group-group-find-parameter
24973 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24974 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24975 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24977 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24978 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24979 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24981 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24982 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24983 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24985 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24986 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24987 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24988 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24991 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24995 @item gnus-read-method
24996 @findex gnus-read-method
24997 Prompts the user for a select method.
25002 @node Back End Interface
25003 @subsection Back End Interface
25005 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
25006 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
25007 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
25008 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
25009 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
25010 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
25012 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
25013 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
25014 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
25015 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
25016 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
25017 been opened, the function should fail.
25019 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
25020 name. Take this example:
25024 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
25025 (nntp-port-number 4324))
25028 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
25029 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
25031 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
25032 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
25033 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
25035 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
25036 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
25037 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
25039 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
25040 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
25041 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
25042 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
25043 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
25044 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
25047 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
25048 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
25049 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
25050 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
25053 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
25054 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
25055 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
25056 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
25057 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
25058 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
25059 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
25060 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
25061 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
25062 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
25064 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
25065 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
25066 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
25067 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
25068 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
25069 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
25070 of numbers as long as possible.
25072 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
25073 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
25074 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
25076 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
25079 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
25082 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
25083 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
25084 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
25085 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
25086 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
25087 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
25091 @node Required Back End Functions
25092 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
25096 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
25098 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
25099 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
25100 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
25101 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
25103 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
25104 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
25105 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
25106 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
25108 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
25109 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
25110 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
25111 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
25112 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
25113 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
25114 number, do maximum fetches.
25116 Here's an example HEAD:
25119 221 1056 Article retrieved.
25120 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
25121 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
25122 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
25123 Subject: Re: Something very droll
25124 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
25125 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
25127 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
25128 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
25129 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
25133 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
25134 these in the data buffer.
25136 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
25140 head = error / valid-head
25141 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
25142 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
25143 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
25144 header = <text> eol
25148 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
25150 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
25151 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
25155 nov-buffer = *nov-line
25156 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
25157 field = <text except TAB>
25160 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
25164 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
25166 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
25167 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
25169 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
25170 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
25171 server. In fact, it should do so.
25173 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
25174 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
25177 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
25179 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
25180 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
25183 There should be no data returned.
25186 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
25188 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
25189 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
25190 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
25191 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
25193 There should be no data returned.
25196 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
25198 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
25199 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
25200 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
25201 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
25203 There should be no data returned.
25206 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
25208 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
25210 There should be no data returned.
25213 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
25215 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
25216 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
25217 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
25218 it would be nice if that were possible.
25220 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
25221 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
25222 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
25223 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
25224 into its article buffer.
25226 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
25227 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
25228 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
25229 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
25230 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
25231 on successful article retrieval.
25234 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
25236 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
25237 making @var{group} the current group.
25239 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
25242 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
25245 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
25248 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
25249 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
25250 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
25251 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
25252 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
25253 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
25254 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
25255 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
25256 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
25260 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
25261 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
25262 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
25266 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25268 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
25269 a no-op on most back ends.
25271 There should be no data returned.
25274 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
25276 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
25279 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
25282 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
25283 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
25286 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
25287 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
25288 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
25289 and the highest as 0.
25292 active-file = *active-line
25293 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
25295 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
25298 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
25299 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
25300 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
25303 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
25305 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
25306 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
25307 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
25308 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
25309 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
25310 clear if the posting could not be completed.
25312 There should be no result data from this function.
25317 @node Optional Back End Functions
25318 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
25322 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
25324 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
25325 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
25326 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
25328 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
25329 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
25330 former is in the same format as the data from
25331 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
25332 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
25335 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
25339 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
25341 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
25342 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
25343 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
25344 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
25345 should return a non-nil value.
25347 There should be no result data from this function.
25350 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
25352 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
25353 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
25354 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
25355 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
25356 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
25357 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
25358 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
25359 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
25361 There should be no result data from this function.
25364 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
25366 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
25367 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
25368 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
25369 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
25370 propagate the mark information to the server.
25372 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
25375 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
25378 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
25379 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
25380 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
25381 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
25382 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
25383 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
25384 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
25385 possible, not limit itself to these.
25387 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
25388 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
25389 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
25390 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
25392 An example action list:
25395 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
25396 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
25397 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
25400 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
25401 mark on (currently not used for anything).
25403 There should be no result data from this function.
25405 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
25407 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
25408 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
25409 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
25410 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
25411 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
25413 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
25414 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
25415 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
25418 There should be no result data from this function.
25421 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
25423 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
25424 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
25425 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
25426 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
25427 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
25428 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
25429 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
25431 There should be no result data from this function.
25434 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
25436 The result data from this function should be a description of
25440 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
25442 description = <text>
25445 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
25447 The result data from this function should be the description of all
25448 groups available on the server.
25451 description-buffer = *description-line
25455 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
25457 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
25458 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
25459 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
25460 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
25461 in the active buffer format.
25463 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
25464 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
25465 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
25466 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
25467 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
25468 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
25469 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
25472 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25474 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
25476 There should be no return data.
25479 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25481 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25482 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25483 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25484 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25485 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25488 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25491 There should be no result data returned.
25494 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
25496 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25497 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25499 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25500 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25501 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25502 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25503 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25504 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25506 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25507 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25510 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25511 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25513 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25514 article for that group.
25516 There should be no data returned.
25519 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25521 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25522 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25523 this function in short order.
25525 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25526 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25528 There should be no data returned.
25531 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25533 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25534 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25536 There should be no data returned.
25539 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25541 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25542 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25543 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25545 There should be no data returned.
25548 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25550 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25551 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25553 There should be no data returned.
25558 @node Error Messaging
25559 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25561 @findex nnheader-report
25562 @findex nnheader-get-report
25563 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25564 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25565 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25566 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25567 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25568 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25571 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25573 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25576 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25577 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25578 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25579 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25581 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25582 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25583 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25586 @node Writing New Back Ends
25587 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25589 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25590 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25591 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25592 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25593 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25596 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25597 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25598 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25600 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25601 package called @code{nnoo}.
25603 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25604 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25610 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25611 parameters. For instance:
25614 (nnoo-declare nndir
25618 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25619 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25622 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25623 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25624 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25626 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25627 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25628 a function in those back ends.
25631 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25632 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25633 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25636 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25637 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25638 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25640 @item nnoo-define-basics
25641 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25645 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25649 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25650 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25651 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25653 @item nnoo-map-functions
25654 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25655 functions from the parent back ends.
25658 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25659 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25660 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25663 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25664 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25665 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25666 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25669 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25670 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25671 haven't already been defined.
25677 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25681 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25682 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25683 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25688 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25691 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25692 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25696 (require 'nnheader)
25700 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25702 (nnoo-declare nndir
25705 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25706 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25707 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25709 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25710 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25713 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25715 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25716 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25717 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25719 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25720 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25722 ;;; Interface functions.
25724 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25726 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25727 (setq nndir-directory
25728 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25730 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25731 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25732 (push `(nndir-current-group
25733 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25734 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25736 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25737 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25739 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25741 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25742 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25743 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25744 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25745 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25749 nnmh-status-message
25751 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25757 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25758 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25760 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25761 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25762 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25763 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25764 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25766 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25767 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25772 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25775 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25777 The abilities can be:
25781 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25783 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25785 This back end supports both mail and news.
25787 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25790 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25791 articles and groups.
25793 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25794 true for almost all back ends.
25795 @item prompt-address
25796 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25797 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25798 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25802 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25803 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25805 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25806 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25807 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25808 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25811 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25812 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25813 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25816 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25817 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25820 This function takes four parameters.
25824 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25827 @item exit-function
25828 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25830 @item temp-directory
25831 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25834 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25835 performed for one group only.
25838 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25839 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25840 find the article number assigned to this article.
25842 The function also uses the following variables:
25843 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25844 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25845 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25846 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25850 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25851 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25855 @node Score File Syntax
25856 @subsection Score File Syntax
25858 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25859 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25860 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25862 Here's a typical score file:
25866 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25873 BNF definition of a score file:
25876 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25877 element = rule / atom
25878 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25879 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25880 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25881 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25883 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25884 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25885 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25886 date-header = "date"
25887 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25888 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25889 score = "nil" / <integer>
25890 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25891 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25892 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25893 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25894 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25895 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25896 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25897 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25898 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25899 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25900 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25901 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25902 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25903 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25904 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25905 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25906 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25907 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25908 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25909 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25910 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25911 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25912 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25913 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25914 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25915 eval = "eval" space <form>
25916 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25919 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25922 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25923 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25924 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25925 one looong line, then that's ok.
25927 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25928 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25932 @subsection Headers
25934 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25935 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25936 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25937 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25939 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25940 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25941 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25942 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25943 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25944 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25945 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25947 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25948 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25949 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25950 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25951 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25953 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25954 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25960 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25961 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25963 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25964 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25965 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25966 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25968 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25972 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25975 is transformed into
25978 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25981 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25982 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25985 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25988 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25989 is slightly tricky:
25992 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25998 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
26001 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
26007 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
26014 and is equal to the previous range.
26016 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
26017 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
26018 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
26022 range = simple-range / normal-range
26023 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
26024 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
26025 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
26026 number *[ " " contents ]
26029 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
26030 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
26031 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
26032 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
26033 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
26038 @subsection Group Info
26040 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
26041 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
26042 describes the group.
26044 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
26045 second is a more complex one:
26048 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
26050 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
26051 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
26053 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
26056 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
26057 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
26058 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
26059 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
26060 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
26061 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
26062 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
26063 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
26064 this section is about.
26066 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
26067 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
26068 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
26070 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
26073 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
26074 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
26075 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26076 group = quote <string> quote
26077 ralevel = rank / level
26078 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
26079 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
26080 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
26082 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
26083 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
26084 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
26085 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
26088 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
26089 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
26092 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
26093 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
26096 @item gnus-info-group
26097 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
26098 @findex gnus-info-group
26099 @findex gnus-info-set-group
26100 Get/set the group name.
26102 @item gnus-info-rank
26103 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
26104 @findex gnus-info-rank
26105 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
26106 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
26108 @item gnus-info-level
26109 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
26110 @findex gnus-info-level
26111 @findex gnus-info-set-level
26112 Get/set the group level.
26114 @item gnus-info-score
26115 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
26116 @findex gnus-info-score
26117 @findex gnus-info-set-score
26118 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
26120 @item gnus-info-read
26121 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
26122 @findex gnus-info-read
26123 @findex gnus-info-set-read
26124 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
26126 @item gnus-info-marks
26127 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
26128 @findex gnus-info-marks
26129 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
26130 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
26132 @item gnus-info-method
26133 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
26134 @findex gnus-info-method
26135 @findex gnus-info-set-method
26136 Get/set the group select method.
26138 @item gnus-info-params
26139 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
26140 @findex gnus-info-params
26141 @findex gnus-info-set-params
26142 Get/set the group parameters.
26145 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
26146 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
26148 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
26149 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
26150 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
26151 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
26154 @node Extended Interactive
26155 @subsection Extended Interactive
26156 @cindex interactive
26157 @findex gnus-interactive
26159 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
26160 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
26161 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
26164 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
26165 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
26170 The best thing to do would have been to implement
26171 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
26172 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
26173 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
26174 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
26175 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
26176 @code{interactive}.
26178 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
26183 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
26184 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
26188 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
26189 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
26190 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
26193 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
26197 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
26201 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
26207 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
26208 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
26212 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
26213 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
26214 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
26216 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
26217 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
26218 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
26219 Gnus, that's very useful.
26221 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
26222 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
26223 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
26224 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
26225 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
26226 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
26227 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
26228 following function:
26231 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
26235 (,function ,@@args))
26239 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
26240 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
26241 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
26244 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
26245 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
26246 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
26248 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
26249 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
26250 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
26253 @node Various File Formats
26254 @subsection Various File Formats
26257 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
26258 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
26262 @node Active File Format
26263 @subsubsection Active File Format
26265 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
26266 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
26269 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
26272 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
26273 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
26274 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
26275 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
26276 no.general 1000 900 y
26279 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
26282 active = *group-line
26283 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
26284 group = <non-white-space string>
26286 high-number = <non-negative integer>
26287 low-number = <positive integer>
26288 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
26291 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
26292 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
26295 @node Newsgroups File Format
26296 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
26298 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
26299 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
26300 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
26303 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
26304 Here's the definition:
26308 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
26309 group = <non-white-space string>
26311 description = <string>
26316 @node Emacs for Heathens
26317 @section Emacs for Heathens
26319 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
26320 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
26321 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
26322 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
26323 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
26324 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
26325 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
26329 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
26330 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
26335 @subsection Keystrokes
26339 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
26342 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
26345 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
26346 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
26347 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
26348 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
26349 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
26350 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
26352 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
26353 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
26354 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
26355 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
26356 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
26357 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
26358 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
26360 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
26361 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
26362 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
26363 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
26364 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
26365 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
26366 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
26368 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
26369 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
26370 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
26371 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
26372 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
26378 @subsection Emacs Lisp
26380 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
26381 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
26382 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
26383 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
26385 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
26386 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
26387 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
26388 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
26389 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
26390 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
26391 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
26394 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
26395 write the following:
26398 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
26401 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
26402 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
26403 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
26406 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
26407 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
26408 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
26409 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
26410 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
26412 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
26413 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
26414 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
26418 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
26422 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
26425 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
26426 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
26429 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
26432 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
26433 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
26436 @include gnus-faq.texi
26456 @c Local Variables:
26458 @c coding: iso-8859-1
26460 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
26461 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
26462 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
26463 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
26464 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref