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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
276 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
279 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
280 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
281 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
282 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
283 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
284 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
285 License'' in the Emacs manual.
287 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
288 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
289 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
291 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
292 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
293 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
294 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
302 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
304 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
306 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
307 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
308 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
309 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
310 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
311 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
312 License'' in the Emacs manual.
314 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
315 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
316 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
318 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
319 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
320 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
321 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
327 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
329 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
332 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
333 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
335 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
336 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
337 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
338 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
339 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
340 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
341 License'' in the Emacs manual.
343 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
344 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
345 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
347 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
348 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
349 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
350 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
359 @top The gnus Newsreader
363 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
364 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
365 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
368 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
369 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
370 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
371 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
372 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
373 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
375 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
386 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
387 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
389 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
390 being accused of plagiarism:
392 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
393 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
394 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
395 can even read news with it!
397 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
398 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
399 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
400 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
401 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
407 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
408 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
409 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
410 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
411 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
412 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
413 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
414 * Various:: General purpose settings.
415 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
416 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
417 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
418 * Key Index:: Key Index.
421 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
425 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
426 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
427 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
428 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
429 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
430 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
439 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
440 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
441 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
445 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
446 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
447 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
448 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
449 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
450 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
451 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
452 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
453 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
454 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
455 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
456 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
457 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
458 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
459 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
460 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
461 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
465 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
466 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
467 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
471 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
472 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
473 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
474 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
475 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
479 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
480 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
481 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
482 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
486 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
487 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
488 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
489 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
490 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
491 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
492 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
493 * Threading:: How threads are made.
494 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
495 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
496 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
497 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
498 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
499 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
500 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
501 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
502 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
503 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
504 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
505 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
506 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
507 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
508 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
509 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
510 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
511 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
512 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
513 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
514 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
516 Summary Buffer Format
518 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
519 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
520 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
521 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
525 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
526 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
528 Reply, Followup and Post
530 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
531 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
532 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
533 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
537 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
538 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
539 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
540 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
541 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
542 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
546 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
547 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
549 Customizing Threading
551 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
552 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
553 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
554 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
558 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
559 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
560 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
561 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
562 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
563 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
567 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
568 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
569 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
573 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
574 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
575 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
576 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
577 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
578 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
579 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
580 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
582 Alternative Approaches
584 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
585 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
587 Various Summary Stuff
589 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
590 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
591 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
592 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
596 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
597 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
598 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
599 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
600 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
604 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
605 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
606 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
607 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
608 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
609 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
610 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
611 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
615 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
616 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
617 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
618 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
619 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
620 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
621 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
625 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
626 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
627 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
628 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
629 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
630 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
631 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
635 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
636 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
640 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
641 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
642 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
643 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
644 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
645 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
646 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
647 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
648 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
649 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
650 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
651 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
652 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
656 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
657 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
658 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
660 Choosing a Mail Backend
662 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
663 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
664 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
665 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
666 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
667 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
671 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
672 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
673 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
674 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
678 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
679 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
680 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
681 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
682 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
683 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
687 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
691 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
692 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
693 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
697 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
698 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
699 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
703 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
704 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
708 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
709 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
710 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
711 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
712 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
713 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
714 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
715 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
716 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
717 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
721 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
722 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
723 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
727 * Group Agent Commands::
728 * Summary Agent Commands::
729 * Server Agent Commands::
733 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
734 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
735 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
736 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
737 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
738 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
739 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
740 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
741 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
742 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
743 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
744 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
745 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
746 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
747 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
748 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
752 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
753 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
754 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
755 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
759 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
760 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
761 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
765 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
766 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
767 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
768 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
769 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
770 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
771 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
772 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
773 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
774 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
775 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
776 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
777 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
778 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
779 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
780 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
781 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
782 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
786 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
787 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
788 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
789 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
790 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
794 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
795 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
796 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
797 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
801 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
802 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
803 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
804 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
805 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
809 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
810 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
811 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
812 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
813 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
814 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
815 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
816 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
820 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
821 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
822 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
823 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
824 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
825 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
826 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
827 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
828 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
829 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
833 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
834 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
835 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
836 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
840 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
841 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
842 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
843 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
847 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
848 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
849 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
850 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
851 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
852 * Group Info:: The group info format.
853 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
854 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
855 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
859 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
860 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
861 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
862 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
863 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
864 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
868 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
869 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
873 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
874 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
880 @chapter Starting gnus
885 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
886 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
889 @findex gnus-other-frame
890 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
891 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
892 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
894 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
895 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
896 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
898 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
899 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
902 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
903 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
904 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
905 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
906 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
907 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
908 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
909 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
910 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
911 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
912 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
916 @node Finding the News
917 @section Finding the News
920 @vindex gnus-select-method
922 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
923 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
924 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
925 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
928 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
929 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
932 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
935 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
938 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
941 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
942 certainly be much faster.
944 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
946 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
947 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
948 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
949 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
950 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
951 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
953 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
954 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
955 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
956 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
958 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
959 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
960 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
961 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
962 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
963 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
964 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
965 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
966 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
969 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
971 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
972 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
973 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
974 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
975 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
976 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
978 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
980 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
981 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
982 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
983 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
984 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
985 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
988 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
989 would typically set this variable to
992 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
997 @section The First Time
998 @cindex first time usage
1000 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1001 be subscribed by default.
1003 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1004 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1005 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1006 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1009 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1010 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1011 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1013 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1014 help you with most common problems.
1016 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1017 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1021 @node The Server is Down
1022 @section The Server is Down
1023 @cindex server errors
1025 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1026 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1027 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1029 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1030 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1031 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1032 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1033 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1034 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1035 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1037 @findex gnus-no-server
1038 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1040 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1041 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1042 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1043 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1044 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1045 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1046 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1050 @section Slave Gnusae
1053 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1054 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1055 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1056 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1058 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1059 @code{.newsrc} file.
1061 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1062 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1063 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1064 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1065 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1066 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1067 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1069 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1070 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1071 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1072 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1073 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1074 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1075 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1076 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1078 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1079 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1082 @node Fetching a Group
1083 @section Fetching a Group
1084 @cindex fetching a group
1086 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1087 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1088 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1089 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1090 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1091 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1097 @cindex subscription
1099 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1100 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1101 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1102 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1103 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1104 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1105 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1106 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1107 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1110 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1111 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
1112 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
1116 @node Checking New Groups
1117 @subsection Checking New Groups
1119 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1120 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1121 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1122 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1123 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1124 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1125 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1126 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1127 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1128 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1130 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1131 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1132 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1133 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1134 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1135 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1136 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1137 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1138 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1139 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1140 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1142 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1143 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1144 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1145 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1146 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1147 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1150 @node Subscription Methods
1151 @subsection Subscription Methods
1153 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1154 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1155 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1157 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1158 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1160 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1164 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1165 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1166 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1167 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1168 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1170 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1171 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1172 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1173 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1175 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1176 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1177 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1179 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1181 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1182 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1183 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1184 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1185 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1186 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1187 up. Or something like that.
1189 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1190 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1191 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1192 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1193 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1195 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1196 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1197 Kill all new groups.
1199 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1200 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1201 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1202 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1203 topic parameter that looks like
1209 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1212 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1218 A closely related variable is
1219 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1220 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1221 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1222 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1225 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1226 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1227 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1228 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1231 @node Filtering New Groups
1232 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1234 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1235 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1236 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1239 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1243 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1244 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1245 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1246 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1247 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1248 subscribing these groups.
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1250 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1252 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1253 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1254 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1255 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1256 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1257 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1258 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1259 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1261 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1262 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1263 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1264 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1265 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1266 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1267 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1268 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1269 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1270 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1272 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1273 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1276 @node Changing Servers
1277 @section Changing Servers
1278 @cindex changing servers
1280 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1281 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1282 very flaky and you want to use another.
1284 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1285 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1289 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1290 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1291 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1292 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1295 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1296 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1297 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1298 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1300 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1301 @findex gnus-change-server
1302 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1303 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1304 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1305 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1306 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1308 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1309 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1310 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1311 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1312 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1314 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1315 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1316 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1317 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1318 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1319 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1321 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1322 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1323 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1327 @section Startup Files
1328 @cindex startup files
1333 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1334 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1336 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1337 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1338 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1339 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1340 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1341 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1342 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1344 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1345 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1346 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1347 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1348 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1349 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1351 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1352 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1353 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1354 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1355 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1356 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1357 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1358 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1359 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1360 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1362 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1363 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1364 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1365 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1366 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1367 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1368 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1369 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1370 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1371 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1372 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1373 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1375 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1376 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1377 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1378 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1380 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1381 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1382 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1383 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1384 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1385 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1386 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1387 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1388 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1389 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1392 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1393 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1395 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1396 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1399 @vindex gnus-init-file
1400 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1401 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1402 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1403 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1404 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1405 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1406 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1407 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1408 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1414 @cindex dribble file
1417 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1418 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1419 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1420 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1421 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1424 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1425 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1428 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1429 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1430 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1432 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1433 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1434 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1435 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1436 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1437 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1439 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1440 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1441 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1444 @node The Active File
1445 @section The Active File
1447 @cindex ignored groups
1449 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1450 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1451 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1453 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1454 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1455 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1456 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1457 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1458 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1459 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1462 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1463 @c if you set it to anything else.
1465 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1467 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1468 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1469 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1471 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1472 you actually subscribe to.
1474 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1475 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1476 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1477 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1479 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1480 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1481 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1482 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1483 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1484 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1486 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1487 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1488 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1491 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1492 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1493 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1494 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1495 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1496 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1498 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1499 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1501 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1502 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1504 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1505 secondary select methods.
1508 @node Startup Variables
1509 @section Startup Variables
1513 @item gnus-load-hook
1514 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1515 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1516 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1517 times you start gnus.
1519 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1520 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1521 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1523 @item gnus-startup-hook
1524 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1525 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1527 @item gnus-started-hook
1528 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1529 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1532 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1533 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1534 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1535 generating the group buffer.
1537 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1538 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1539 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1540 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1541 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1542 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1543 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1544 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1546 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1547 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1548 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1549 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1550 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1551 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1553 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1554 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1555 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1557 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1558 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1559 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1561 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1562 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1563 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1564 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1569 @node The Group Buffer
1570 @chapter The Group Buffer
1571 @cindex group buffer
1573 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1574 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1575 long as gnus is active.
1579 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1580 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1581 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1582 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1583 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1584 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1585 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1586 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1592 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1593 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1594 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1595 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1596 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1597 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1598 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1599 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1600 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1601 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1602 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1603 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1604 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1605 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1606 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1607 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1608 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1612 @node Group Buffer Format
1613 @section Group Buffer Format
1616 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1617 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1618 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1622 @node Group Line Specification
1623 @subsection Group Line Specification
1624 @cindex group buffer format
1626 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1627 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1629 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1632 25: news.announce.newusers
1633 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1638 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1639 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1640 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1641 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1643 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1644 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1645 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1646 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1647 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1648 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1650 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1652 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1653 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1654 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1655 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1658 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1659 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1660 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1662 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1667 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1670 Whether the group is subscribed.
1673 Level of subscribedness.
1676 Number of unread articles.
1679 Number of dormant articles.
1682 Number of ticked articles.
1685 Number of read articles.
1688 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1689 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1692 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1695 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1704 Newsgroup description.
1707 @samp{m} if moderated.
1710 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1719 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1723 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1726 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1727 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1728 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1729 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1730 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1733 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1735 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1739 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1742 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1746 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1747 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1748 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1749 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1750 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1751 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1756 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1757 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1758 group, or a bogus native group.
1761 @node Group Modeline Specification
1762 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1763 @cindex group modeline
1765 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1766 The mode line can be changed by setting
1767 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1768 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1772 The native news server.
1774 The native select method.
1778 @node Group Highlighting
1779 @subsection Group Highlighting
1780 @cindex highlighting
1781 @cindex group highlighting
1783 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1784 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1785 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1786 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1787 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1789 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1793 (cond (window-system
1794 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1795 (defface my-group-face-1
1796 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1797 (defface my-group-face-2
1798 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1799 (defface my-group-face-3
1800 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1801 (defface my-group-face-4
1802 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1803 (defface my-group-face-5
1804 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1806 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1807 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1808 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1809 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1810 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1811 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1814 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1816 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1823 The number of unread articles in the group.
1827 Whether the group is a mail group.
1829 The level of the group.
1831 The score of the group.
1833 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1835 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1836 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1838 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1839 topic being inserted.
1842 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1843 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1844 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1846 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1847 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1848 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1849 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1850 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1853 @node Group Maneuvering
1854 @section Group Maneuvering
1855 @cindex group movement
1857 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1858 expected, hopefully.
1864 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1865 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1866 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1872 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1873 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1874 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1878 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1879 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1883 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1884 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1888 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1889 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1890 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1894 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1895 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1896 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1899 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1905 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1906 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1907 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1912 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1913 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1914 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1918 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1919 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1920 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1923 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1924 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1925 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1926 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1930 @node Selecting a Group
1931 @section Selecting a Group
1932 @cindex group selection
1937 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1938 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1939 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1940 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1941 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1942 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1943 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1944 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1945 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1946 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1948 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1949 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1950 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1952 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1953 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1958 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1959 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1960 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1961 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1962 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1966 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1967 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1968 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1969 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1970 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1971 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1972 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1973 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1974 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1975 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1978 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1979 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1980 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1981 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1982 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1985 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1986 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1987 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1988 doing any processing of its contents
1989 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1990 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1991 manner will have no permanent effects.
1995 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1996 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1997 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1998 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1999 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2000 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2001 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2002 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2005 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2006 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2007 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2008 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2013 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2014 full summary buffer.
2017 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2020 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2025 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2026 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2027 Useful functions include:
2030 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2031 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2032 don't select the article.
2034 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2035 Select the first unread article.
2037 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2038 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2042 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2043 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2044 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2048 @node Subscription Commands
2049 @section Subscription Commands
2050 @cindex subscription
2058 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2059 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2060 Toggle subscription to the current group
2061 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2067 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2068 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2069 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2070 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2076 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2077 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2078 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2084 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2085 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2088 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2090 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2091 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2092 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2098 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2099 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2103 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2104 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2107 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2108 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2109 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2110 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2111 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2112 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2113 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2114 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2115 @file{.newsrc} file.
2119 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2129 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2130 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2131 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2132 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2133 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2134 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2139 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2140 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2141 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2145 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2146 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2147 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2149 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2150 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2151 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2152 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2153 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2154 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2161 @section Group Levels
2165 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2166 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2167 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2168 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2169 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2171 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2177 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2178 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2179 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2180 prompted for a level.
2183 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2184 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2185 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2186 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2187 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2188 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2189 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2190 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2191 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2192 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2193 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2194 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2195 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2196 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2197 reasons of efficiency.
2199 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2200 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2202 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2203 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2204 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2205 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2206 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2207 groups are hidden, in a way.
2209 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2210 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2211 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2212 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2213 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2214 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2216 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2217 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2218 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2219 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2220 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2221 list of killed groups.)
2223 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2224 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2225 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2227 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2228 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2229 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2230 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2231 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2232 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2233 relevant valid ranges.
2235 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2236 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2237 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2238 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2239 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2240 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2243 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2244 one with the best level.
2246 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2247 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2248 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2251 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2252 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2253 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2254 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2257 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2258 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2259 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2260 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2262 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2263 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2264 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2265 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2266 to 5. The default is 6.
2270 @section Group Score
2275 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2276 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2277 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2280 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2281 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2282 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2283 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2284 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2285 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2286 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2287 least significant part.))
2289 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2290 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2291 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2292 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2293 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2294 action after each summary exit, you can add
2295 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2296 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2297 slow things down somewhat.
2300 @node Marking Groups
2301 @section Marking Groups
2302 @cindex marking groups
2304 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2305 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2306 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2307 bidding on those groups.
2309 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2310 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2311 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2319 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2320 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2326 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2327 Remove the mark from the current group
2328 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2332 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2333 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2337 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2338 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2342 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2343 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2347 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2348 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2349 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2352 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2354 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2355 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2356 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2357 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2358 the command to be executed.
2361 @node Foreign Groups
2362 @section Foreign Groups
2363 @cindex foreign groups
2365 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2366 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2367 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2368 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2375 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2376 @cindex making groups
2377 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2378 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2379 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2383 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2384 @cindex renaming groups
2385 Rename the current group to something else
2386 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2387 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2393 @findex gnus-group-customize
2394 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2399 @cindex renaming groups
2400 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2401 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2406 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2407 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2411 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2412 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2413 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2417 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2419 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2420 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2426 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2430 @cindex (ding) archive
2431 @cindex archive group
2432 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2433 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2434 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2435 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2436 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2437 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2438 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2442 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2444 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2445 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2446 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2447 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2451 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2453 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2454 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2455 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2459 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2460 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2462 Make a group based on some file or other
2463 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2464 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2465 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2466 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2467 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2468 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2469 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2473 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2474 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2475 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2476 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2485 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2486 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2487 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2488 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2489 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2490 @xref{Web Searches}.
2492 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2493 to a particular group by using a match string like
2494 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2497 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2498 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2499 This function will delete the current group
2500 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2501 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2502 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2503 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2504 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2508 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2509 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2510 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2514 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2515 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2516 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2519 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2522 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2523 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2524 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2525 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2526 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2527 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2531 @node Group Parameters
2532 @section Group Parameters
2533 @cindex group parameters
2535 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2536 Here's an example group parameter list:
2539 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2543 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2544 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2545 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2546 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2548 The following group parameters can be used:
2553 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2556 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2559 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2560 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2561 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2562 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2563 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2565 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2566 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2567 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2568 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2569 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2570 list address instead.
2574 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2577 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2580 It is totally ignored
2581 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2582 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2584 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2585 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2586 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2587 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2588 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2590 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2591 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2592 sending the message.
2596 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2597 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2598 of whether it has any unread articles.
2600 @item broken-reply-to
2601 @cindex broken-reply-to
2602 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2603 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2604 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2605 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2606 broken behavior. So there!
2610 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2611 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2615 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2616 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2617 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2622 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2623 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2624 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2625 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2626 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2627 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2628 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2632 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2633 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2634 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2637 @cindex total-expire
2638 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2639 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2640 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2641 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2646 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2647 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2648 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2649 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2650 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2651 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2654 @cindex score file group parameter
2655 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2656 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2657 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2660 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2661 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2662 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2663 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2666 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2667 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2668 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2669 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2672 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2673 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2677 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2680 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2685 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2686 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2687 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2691 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2692 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2693 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2695 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2696 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2697 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2698 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2699 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2700 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2701 @code{eval}ed there.
2703 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2704 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2705 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2706 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2707 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2710 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2711 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2712 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2713 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2714 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2716 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2717 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2718 like this in the group parameters:
2723 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2727 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2728 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2729 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2730 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2731 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2735 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2736 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2737 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2738 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2739 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2742 @node Listing Groups
2743 @section Listing Groups
2744 @cindex group listing
2746 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2754 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2755 List all groups that have unread articles
2756 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2757 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2758 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2759 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2766 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2767 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2768 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2769 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2770 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2771 unsubscribed groups).
2775 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2776 List all unread groups on a specific level
2777 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2778 with no unread articles.
2782 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2783 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2784 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2785 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2790 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2791 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2795 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2796 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2797 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2801 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2802 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2806 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2807 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2808 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2809 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2810 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2811 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2812 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2813 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2817 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2818 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2819 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2823 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2824 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2825 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2829 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2830 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2834 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2835 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2839 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2840 List groups limited within the current selection
2841 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2845 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2846 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2850 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2851 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2855 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2856 @cindex visible group parameter
2857 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2858 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2859 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2860 get the same effect.
2862 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2863 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2864 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2865 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2866 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2869 @node Sorting Groups
2870 @section Sorting Groups
2871 @cindex sorting groups
2873 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2874 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2875 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2876 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2877 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2878 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2883 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2884 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2885 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2887 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2888 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2889 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2891 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2892 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2893 Sort by group level.
2895 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2896 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2897 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2899 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2900 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2901 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2902 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2904 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2905 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2906 Sort by number of unread articles.
2908 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2909 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2910 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2912 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
2913 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
2914 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
2919 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2920 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2924 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2925 some sorting criteria:
2929 @kindex G S a (Group)
2930 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2931 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2932 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2935 @kindex G S u (Group)
2936 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2937 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2938 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2941 @kindex G S l (Group)
2942 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2943 Sort the group buffer by group level
2944 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2947 @kindex G S v (Group)
2948 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2949 Sort the group buffer by group score
2950 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2953 @kindex G S r (Group)
2954 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2955 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2956 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2959 @kindex G S m (Group)
2960 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2961 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2962 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2966 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2967 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2969 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2970 commands will sort in reverse order.
2972 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2976 @kindex G P a (Group)
2977 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2978 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2979 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2982 @kindex G P u (Group)
2983 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2984 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2985 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2988 @kindex G P l (Group)
2989 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2990 Sort the groups by group level
2991 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2994 @kindex G P v (Group)
2995 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2996 Sort the groups by group score
2997 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3000 @kindex G P r (Group)
3001 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3002 Sort the groups by group rank
3003 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3006 @kindex G P m (Group)
3007 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3008 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3009 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3015 @node Group Maintenance
3016 @section Group Maintenance
3017 @cindex bogus groups
3022 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3023 Find bogus groups and delete them
3024 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3028 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3029 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3030 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3031 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3032 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3036 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3037 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3038 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3039 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3042 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3043 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3044 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3045 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3050 @node Browse Foreign Server
3051 @section Browse Foreign Server
3052 @cindex foreign servers
3053 @cindex browsing servers
3058 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3059 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3060 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3061 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3064 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3065 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3066 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3067 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3069 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3074 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3075 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3079 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3080 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3083 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3084 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3085 Enter the current group and display the first article
3086 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3089 @kindex RET (Browse)
3090 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3091 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3095 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3096 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3097 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3103 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3104 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3108 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3109 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3110 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3115 @section Exiting gnus
3116 @cindex exiting gnus
3118 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3123 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3124 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3125 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3126 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3130 @findex gnus-group-exit
3131 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3132 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3136 @findex gnus-group-quit
3137 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3138 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3141 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3142 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3143 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3144 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3145 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3150 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3151 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3152 trying to customize meta-variables.
3157 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3158 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3159 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3165 @section Group Topics
3168 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3169 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3170 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3171 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3172 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3173 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3177 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3178 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3189 2: alt.religion.emacs
3192 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3194 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3195 13: comp.sources.unix
3198 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3200 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3201 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3202 is a toggling command.)
3204 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3205 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3206 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3207 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3210 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3211 the hook for the group mode:
3214 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3218 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3219 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3220 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3221 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3222 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3226 @node Topic Variables
3227 @subsection Topic Variables
3228 @cindex topic variables
3230 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3231 really neat, I think.
3233 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3234 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3235 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3248 Number of groups in the topic.
3250 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3252 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3255 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3256 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3257 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3260 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3261 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3263 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3264 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3265 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3268 @node Topic Commands
3269 @subsection Topic Commands
3270 @cindex topic commands
3272 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3273 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3274 definitions slightly.
3280 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3281 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3282 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3286 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3287 Move the current group to some other topic
3288 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3289 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3293 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3294 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3298 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3299 Copy the current group to some other topic
3300 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3301 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3305 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3306 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3307 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3311 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3312 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3313 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3317 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3318 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3319 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3320 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3321 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3322 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3323 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3326 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3327 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3331 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3332 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3333 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3337 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3338 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3339 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3343 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3344 Toggle hiding empty topics
3345 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3349 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3350 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3351 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3354 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3355 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3356 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3357 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3361 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3363 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3364 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3365 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3366 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3369 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3370 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3371 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3372 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3376 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3378 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3379 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3380 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3381 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3382 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3383 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3386 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3387 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3388 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3389 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3393 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3394 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3395 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3399 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3400 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3401 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3406 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3407 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3410 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3411 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3412 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3416 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3417 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3418 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3422 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3423 @cindex group parameters
3424 @cindex topic parameters
3426 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3427 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3433 @subsection Topic Sorting
3434 @cindex topic sorting
3436 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3442 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3443 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3444 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3445 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3448 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3449 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3450 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3451 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3454 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3455 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3456 Sort the current topic by group level
3457 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3460 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3461 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3462 Sort the current topic by group score
3463 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3466 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3467 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3468 Sort the current topic by group rank
3469 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3472 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3473 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3474 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3475 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3479 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3482 @node Topic Topology
3483 @subsection Topic Topology
3484 @cindex topic topology
3487 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3493 2: alt.religion.emacs
3496 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3498 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3499 13: comp.sources.unix
3502 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3503 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3504 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3509 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3510 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3514 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3515 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3516 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3517 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3518 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3519 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3521 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3522 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3523 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3526 @node Topic Parameters
3527 @subsection Topic Parameters
3528 @cindex topic parameters
3530 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3531 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3532 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3534 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3539 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3540 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3541 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3546 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3547 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3548 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3549 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3555 2: alt.religion.emacs
3559 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3561 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3562 13: comp.sources.unix
3566 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3567 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3568 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3569 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3570 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3571 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3573 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3574 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3575 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3576 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3577 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3579 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3580 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3581 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3582 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3583 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3584 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3585 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3586 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3589 @node Misc Group Stuff
3590 @section Misc Group Stuff
3593 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3594 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3595 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3596 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3603 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3604 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3605 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3609 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3610 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3611 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3615 @findex gnus-group-mail
3616 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3620 Variables for the group buffer:
3624 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3625 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3626 is called after the group buffer has been
3629 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3630 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3631 is called after the group buffer is
3632 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3635 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3636 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3637 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3638 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3640 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3641 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3642 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3643 whether they are empty or not.
3645 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3646 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3647 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3648 non-ASCII group names.
3652 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3653 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3656 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3657 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3658 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3659 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3663 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3664 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3669 @node Scanning New Messages
3670 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3671 @cindex new messages
3672 @cindex scanning new news
3678 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3679 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3680 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3681 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3682 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3683 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3688 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3689 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3690 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3691 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3692 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3693 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3694 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3696 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3697 @cindex activating groups
3699 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3700 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3705 @findex gnus-group-restart
3706 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3707 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3708 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3712 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3713 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3715 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3716 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3720 @node Group Information
3721 @subsection Group Information
3722 @cindex group information
3723 @cindex information on groups
3730 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3731 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3734 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3735 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3736 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3737 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3738 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3739 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3740 for fetching the file.
3742 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3743 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3747 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3749 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3750 @cindex describing groups
3751 @cindex group description
3752 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3753 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3754 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3758 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3759 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3760 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3767 @findex gnus-version
3768 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3772 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3773 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3776 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3779 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3780 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3784 @node Group Timestamp
3785 @subsection Group Timestamp
3787 @cindex group timestamps
3789 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3790 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3791 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3794 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3797 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3799 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3800 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3803 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3804 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3807 This will result in lines looking like:
3810 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3811 0: custom 19961002T012713
3814 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3815 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3819 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3820 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3825 @subsection File Commands
3826 @cindex file commands
3832 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3833 @vindex gnus-init-file
3834 @cindex reading init file
3835 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3836 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3840 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3841 @cindex saving .newsrc
3842 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3843 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3844 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3847 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3848 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3849 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3854 @node The Summary Buffer
3855 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3856 @cindex summary buffer
3858 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3859 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3861 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3862 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3864 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3867 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3868 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3869 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3870 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3871 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3872 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3873 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3874 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3875 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3876 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3877 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3878 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3879 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3880 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3881 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3882 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3883 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3884 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3885 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3886 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3887 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3888 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3889 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3890 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3891 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3892 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3893 or reselecting the current group.
3894 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3895 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3896 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3900 @node Summary Buffer Format
3901 @section Summary Buffer Format
3902 @cindex summary buffer format
3906 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3907 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3908 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3914 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3915 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3916 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3917 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3920 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3921 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3922 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3923 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3924 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3925 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3926 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3927 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3928 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3929 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3930 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3931 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3932 other function instead:
3935 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3936 'mail-extract-address-components)
3939 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3940 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3941 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3942 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3945 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3946 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3948 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3949 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3950 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3951 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3952 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3954 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3956 The following format specification characters are understood:
3962 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3963 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3965 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3966 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3967 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3969 Full @code{From} header.
3971 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3973 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3974 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3976 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3977 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3978 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3979 may be more thorough.
3981 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3984 Number of lines in the article.
3986 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3987 methods (like nnfolder).
3989 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3991 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3992 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3994 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3995 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3997 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3998 for adopted articles.
4000 One space for each thread level.
4002 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4007 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4008 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4012 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4014 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4015 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4016 default level. If the difference between
4017 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4018 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4026 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4028 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4034 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4035 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4037 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4038 article has any children.
4044 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4045 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4046 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4047 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4048 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4049 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4052 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4053 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4054 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4055 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4056 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4057 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4059 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4060 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4062 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4065 @node To From Newsgroups
4066 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4070 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4071 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4072 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4073 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4074 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4078 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4079 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4080 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4084 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4085 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4088 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4089 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4092 @findex gnus-extra-header
4093 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4094 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4095 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4098 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4102 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4103 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4104 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4105 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4106 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4107 headers are used instead.
4111 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4112 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4113 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4114 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4117 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4118 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4119 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4120 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4122 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4126 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4128 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4129 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4130 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4131 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4135 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4136 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4143 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4144 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4147 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4148 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4150 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4151 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4152 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4153 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4155 Here are the elements you can play with:
4161 Unprefixed group name.
4163 Current article number.
4165 Current article score.
4169 Number of unread articles in this group.
4171 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4174 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4175 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4176 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4177 and no unselected ones.
4179 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4180 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4182 Subject of the current article.
4184 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4186 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4188 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4190 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4192 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4194 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4198 @node Summary Highlighting
4199 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4203 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4204 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4205 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4206 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4207 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4209 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4210 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4211 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4212 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4214 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4215 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4216 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4217 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4219 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4220 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4221 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4222 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4223 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4224 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4227 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4228 ((> score default) . bold))
4230 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4231 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4235 @node Summary Maneuvering
4236 @section Summary Maneuvering
4237 @cindex summary movement
4239 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4240 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4242 None of these commands select articles.
4247 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4248 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4249 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4250 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4251 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4255 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4256 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4257 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4258 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4259 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4264 @kindex G j (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4266 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4267 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4270 @kindex G g (Summary)
4271 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4272 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4273 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4276 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4277 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4278 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4279 to the group buffer.
4281 Variables related to summary movement:
4285 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4286 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4287 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4288 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4289 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4290 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4291 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4292 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4293 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4294 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4295 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4296 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4297 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4298 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4300 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4301 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4302 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4303 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4304 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4305 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4306 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4308 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4310 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4311 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4312 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4313 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4314 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4316 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4317 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4318 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4319 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4320 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4321 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4322 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4323 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4326 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4327 the given number of lines from the top.
4332 @node Choosing Articles
4333 @section Choosing Articles
4334 @cindex selecting articles
4337 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4338 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4342 @node Choosing Commands
4343 @subsection Choosing Commands
4345 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4346 and they all select and display an article.
4348 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4349 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4353 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4354 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4355 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4356 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4361 @kindex G n (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4363 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4364 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4369 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4370 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4371 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4376 @kindex G N (Summary)
4377 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4378 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4383 @kindex G P (Summary)
4384 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4385 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4388 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4389 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4390 Go to the next article with the same subject
4391 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4394 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4395 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4396 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4397 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4401 @kindex G f (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4404 Go to the first unread article
4405 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4409 @kindex G b (Summary)
4411 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4412 Go to the article with the highest score
4413 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4418 @kindex G l (Summary)
4419 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4420 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4423 @kindex G o (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4426 @cindex article history
4427 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4428 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4429 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4430 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4431 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4432 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4436 @node Choosing Variables
4437 @subsection Choosing Variables
4439 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4442 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4443 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4444 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4445 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4446 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4447 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4449 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4450 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4451 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4452 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4454 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4455 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4456 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4457 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4458 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4459 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4460 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4461 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4462 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4463 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4464 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4465 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4466 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4467 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4472 @node Paging the Article
4473 @section Scrolling the Article
4474 @cindex article scrolling
4479 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4481 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4482 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4483 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4486 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4487 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4488 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4491 @kindex RET (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4493 Scroll the current article one line forward
4494 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4497 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4499 Scroll the current article one line backward
4500 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4504 @kindex A g (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4507 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4508 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4509 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4510 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4511 the way it came from the server.
4513 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4514 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4515 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4518 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4523 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4528 @kindex A < (Summary)
4529 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4530 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4531 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4536 @kindex A > (Summary)
4537 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4538 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4542 @kindex A s (Summary)
4544 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4545 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4546 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4550 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4551 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4556 @node Reply Followup and Post
4557 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4560 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4561 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4562 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4563 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4567 @node Summary Mail Commands
4568 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4570 @cindex composing mail
4572 Commands for composing a mail message:
4578 @kindex S r (Summary)
4580 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4581 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4582 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4583 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4584 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4589 @kindex S R (Summary)
4590 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4591 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4592 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4593 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4594 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4597 @kindex S w (Summary)
4598 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4599 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4600 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4601 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4602 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4605 @kindex S W (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4607 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4608 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4609 the process/prefix convention.
4613 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4614 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4615 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4616 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4617 Forward the current article to some other person
4618 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4619 headers of the forwarded article.
4624 @kindex S m (Summary)
4625 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4626 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4627 Send a mail to some other person
4628 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4631 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4632 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4633 @cindex bouncing mail
4634 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4635 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4636 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4637 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4638 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4639 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4640 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4641 very well fail, though.
4644 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4645 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4646 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4647 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4648 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4649 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4650 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4651 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4652 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4653 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4655 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4656 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4657 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4658 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4659 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4661 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4662 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4665 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4666 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4667 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4668 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4669 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4672 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4673 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4674 @cindex crossposting
4675 @cindex excessive crossposting
4676 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4677 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4679 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4680 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4681 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4682 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4683 command understands the process/prefix convention
4684 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4688 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4691 @node Summary Post Commands
4692 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4694 @cindex composing news
4696 Commands for posting a news article:
4702 @kindex S p (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4704 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4705 Post an article to the current group
4706 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4711 @kindex S f (Summary)
4712 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4713 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4714 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4718 @kindex S F (Summary)
4720 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4721 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4722 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4723 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4724 process/prefix convention.
4727 @kindex S n (Summary)
4728 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4729 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4730 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4733 @kindex S N (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4735 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4736 message through mail and include the original message
4737 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4738 the process/prefix convention.
4741 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4742 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4743 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4744 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4745 headers of the forwarded article.
4748 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4749 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4751 @cindex making digests
4752 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4753 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4754 process/prefix convention.
4757 @kindex S u (Summary)
4758 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4759 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4760 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4761 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4764 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4767 @node Summary Message Commands
4768 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4772 @kindex S y (Summary)
4773 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4774 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4775 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4776 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4777 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4782 @node Canceling and Superseding
4783 @subsection Canceling Articles
4784 @cindex canceling articles
4785 @cindex superseding articles
4787 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4788 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4790 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4792 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4794 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4795 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4796 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4797 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4798 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4799 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4801 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4802 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4805 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4806 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4807 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4809 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4810 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4811 your original article.
4813 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4815 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4816 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4817 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4820 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4821 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4822 have posted almost the same article twice.
4824 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4825 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4826 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4827 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4828 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4829 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4830 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4831 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4832 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4833 canceled/superseded.
4835 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4838 @node Marking Articles
4839 @section Marking Articles
4840 @cindex article marking
4841 @cindex article ticking
4844 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4846 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4847 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4848 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4850 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4853 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4854 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4855 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4859 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4863 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4864 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4865 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4869 @node Unread Articles
4870 @subsection Unread Articles
4872 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4877 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4878 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4880 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4881 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4882 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4883 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4884 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4888 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4889 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4891 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4892 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4893 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4896 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4897 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4899 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4904 @subsection Read Articles
4905 @cindex expirable mark
4907 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4912 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4913 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4914 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4917 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4918 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4921 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4922 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4923 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4926 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4927 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4930 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4931 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4934 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4935 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4938 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4939 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4942 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4943 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4946 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4947 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4950 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4951 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4955 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4956 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4957 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4961 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4962 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4964 One more special mark, though:
4968 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4969 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4971 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4972 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4973 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4974 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4980 @subsection Other Marks
4981 @cindex process mark
4984 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4990 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4991 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4992 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4993 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4994 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4997 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4998 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4999 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5000 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5003 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5004 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5005 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5008 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5009 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5010 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5011 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5014 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5015 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5016 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5017 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5018 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5021 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5022 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5023 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5024 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5025 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5026 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5030 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5031 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5032 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5034 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5035 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5036 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5040 @subsection Setting Marks
5041 @cindex setting marks
5043 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5048 @kindex M c (Summary)
5049 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5051 @cindex mark as unread
5052 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5053 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5059 @kindex M t (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5061 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5062 @xref{Article Caching}.
5067 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5068 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5069 Mark the current article as dormant
5070 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5074 @kindex M d (Summary)
5076 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5077 Mark the current article as read
5078 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5082 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5083 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5084 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5089 @kindex M k (Summary)
5090 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5091 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5092 and then select the next unread article
5093 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5097 @kindex M K (Summary)
5098 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5100 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5104 @kindex M C (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5106 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5107 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5110 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5112 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5113 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5116 @kindex M H (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5118 Catchup the current group to point
5119 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5122 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5124 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5125 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5128 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5130 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5131 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5135 @kindex M e (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5138 Mark the current article as expirable
5139 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5142 @kindex M b (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5144 Set a bookmark in the current article
5145 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5148 @kindex M B (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5150 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5151 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5154 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5155 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5156 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5157 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5160 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5162 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5163 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5166 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5168 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5169 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5170 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5173 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5174 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5175 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5176 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5177 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5178 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5179 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5180 The default is @code{t}.
5183 @node Generic Marking Commands
5184 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5186 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5187 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5188 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5189 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5190 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5193 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5194 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5197 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5198 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5199 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5200 to list in this manual.
5202 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5203 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5204 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5205 article, you could say something like:
5208 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5209 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5210 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5216 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5217 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5221 @node Setting Process Marks
5222 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5223 @cindex setting process marks
5230 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5232 Mark the current article with the process mark
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5234 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5238 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5239 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5240 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5241 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5244 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5246 Remove the process mark from all articles
5247 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5250 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5252 Invert the list of process marked articles
5253 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5256 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5257 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5258 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5259 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5262 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5263 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5264 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5265 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5268 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5270 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5273 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5275 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5276 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5279 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5280 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5281 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5282 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5285 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5287 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5288 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5291 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5293 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5296 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5298 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5299 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5302 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5304 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5307 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5309 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5310 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5313 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5314 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5315 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5316 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5319 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5321 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5322 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5325 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5327 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5328 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5332 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5333 set process marks based on article body contents.
5340 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5341 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5342 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5345 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5346 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5347 additional articles.
5353 @kindex / / (Summary)
5354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5355 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5359 @kindex / a (Summary)
5360 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5361 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5362 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5365 @kindex / x (Summary)
5366 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5367 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5368 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5369 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5373 @kindex / u (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5376 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5377 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5378 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5379 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5382 @kindex / m (Summary)
5383 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5384 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5385 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5388 @kindex / t (Summary)
5389 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5390 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5391 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5392 articles younger than that number of days.
5395 @kindex / n (Summary)
5396 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5397 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5398 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5399 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5402 @kindex / w (Summary)
5403 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5404 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5405 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5409 @kindex / v (Summary)
5410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5411 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5412 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5416 @kindex M S (Summary)
5417 @kindex / E (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5419 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5423 @kindex / D (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5425 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5426 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5429 @kindex / * (Summary)
5430 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5431 Include all cached articles in the limit
5432 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5435 @kindex / d (Summary)
5436 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5437 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5438 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5441 @kindex / M (Summary)
5442 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5443 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5446 @kindex / T (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5448 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5451 @kindex / c (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5453 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5454 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5457 @kindex / C (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5459 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5461 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5469 @cindex article threading
5471 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5472 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5473 hierarchical fashion.
5475 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5476 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5477 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5478 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5479 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5480 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5481 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5483 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5487 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5490 A tree-like article structure.
5493 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5496 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5497 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5498 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5499 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5500 called loose threads.
5502 @item thread gathering
5503 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5505 @item sparse threads
5506 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5507 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5513 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5514 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5518 @node Customizing Threading
5519 @subsection Customizing Threading
5520 @cindex customizing threading
5523 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5524 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5525 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5526 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5531 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5534 @cindex loose threads
5537 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5538 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5539 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5540 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5541 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5542 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5544 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5545 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5546 There are four possible values:
5550 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5551 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5552 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5553 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5554 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5559 @cindex adopting articles
5564 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5565 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5566 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5567 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5570 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5571 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5572 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5573 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5574 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5575 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5576 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5579 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5580 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5581 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5585 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5586 display them after one another.
5589 Don't gather loose threads.
5592 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5593 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5594 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5595 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5596 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5597 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5598 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5599 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5600 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5601 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5602 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5604 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5605 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5606 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5609 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5610 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5611 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5612 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5613 simplification is used.
5615 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5616 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5617 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5618 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5620 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5622 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5628 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5629 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5630 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5631 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5636 (mapconcat 'identity
5637 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5639 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5642 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5645 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5646 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5647 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5648 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5649 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5650 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5652 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5655 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5656 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5657 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5659 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5660 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5663 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5664 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5665 Remove excessive whitespace.
5668 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5671 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5672 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5673 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5674 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5675 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5676 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5677 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5678 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5680 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5681 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5682 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5683 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5684 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5685 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5686 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5687 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5688 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5692 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5693 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5694 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5695 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5697 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5698 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5699 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5702 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5706 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5707 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5713 @node Filling In Threads
5714 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5717 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5718 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5719 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5720 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5721 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5722 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5723 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5724 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5725 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5726 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5727 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5728 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5730 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5731 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5732 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5734 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5735 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5736 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5737 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5738 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5739 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5740 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5741 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5742 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5743 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5744 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5745 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5746 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5747 @code{nil} by default.
5752 @node More Threading
5753 @subsubsection More Threading
5756 @item gnus-show-threads
5757 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5758 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5759 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5760 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5761 slower and more awkward.
5763 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5764 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5765 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5768 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5769 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5770 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5771 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5772 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5773 threads are expunged.
5775 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5776 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5777 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5780 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5781 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5782 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5783 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5784 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5787 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5788 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5789 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5792 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5793 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5794 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5795 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5796 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5797 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5798 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5799 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5800 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5801 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5802 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5807 @node Low-Level Threading
5808 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5812 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5813 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5814 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5815 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5816 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5817 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5819 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5820 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5821 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5822 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5823 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5824 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5825 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5826 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5827 meaningful. Here's one example:
5830 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5832 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5833 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5835 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5837 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5844 @node Thread Commands
5845 @subsection Thread Commands
5846 @cindex thread commands
5852 @kindex T k (Summary)
5853 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5855 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5856 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5857 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5862 @kindex T l (Summary)
5863 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5864 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5865 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5866 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5869 @kindex T i (Summary)
5870 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5871 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5872 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5875 @kindex T # (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5877 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5878 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5881 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5882 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5883 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5884 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5887 @kindex T T (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5889 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5892 @kindex T s (Summary)
5893 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5894 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5895 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5898 @kindex T h (Summary)
5899 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5900 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5903 @kindex T S (Summary)
5904 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5905 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5908 @kindex T H (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5910 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5913 @kindex T t (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5915 Re-thread the current article's thread
5916 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5917 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5920 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5922 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5923 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5927 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5928 understand the numeric prefix.
5933 @kindex T n (Summary)
5935 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5937 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5939 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5942 @kindex T p (Summary)
5944 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5946 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5948 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5951 @kindex T d (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5953 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5956 @kindex T u (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5958 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5961 @kindex T o (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5963 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5966 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5967 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5968 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5969 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5970 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5971 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5972 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5973 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5974 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5975 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5976 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5977 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5984 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5985 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5986 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5987 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5988 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5989 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5990 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5991 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5992 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5993 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5994 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5996 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5997 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5998 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5999 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6000 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6002 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6003 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6004 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6006 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6007 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6008 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6009 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6010 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6011 ascending article order.
6013 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6014 by number, you could do something like:
6017 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6018 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6019 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6020 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6023 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6024 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6025 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6026 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6027 which the articles arrived.
6029 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6033 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6035 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6036 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6039 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6040 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6041 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6042 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6045 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6046 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6047 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6048 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6049 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6050 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6051 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6052 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6053 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6054 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6055 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6056 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6057 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6059 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6063 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6064 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6065 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6070 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6071 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6072 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6073 @cindex article pre-fetch
6076 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6077 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6078 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6079 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6080 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6082 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6083 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6085 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6086 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6087 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6088 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6089 connection is blocked.
6091 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6092 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6093 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6094 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6096 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6097 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6098 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6099 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6102 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6105 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6106 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6107 happen automatically.
6109 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6110 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6111 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6112 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6113 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6114 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6115 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6117 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6118 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6119 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6120 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6121 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6122 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6123 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6124 data structure as the only parameter.
6126 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6129 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6130 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6131 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6132 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6135 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6138 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6139 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6140 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6142 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6143 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6144 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6145 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6149 Remove articles when they are read.
6152 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6155 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6157 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6158 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6159 @c from the next group.
6162 @node Article Caching
6163 @section Article Caching
6164 @cindex article caching
6167 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6168 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6169 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6170 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6171 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6173 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6175 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6176 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6177 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6178 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6179 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6180 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6181 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6182 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6184 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6185 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6186 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6187 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6188 as dormant, and don't worry.
6190 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6192 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6193 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6194 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6195 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6196 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6197 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6198 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6199 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6200 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6201 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6203 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6204 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6205 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6206 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6207 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6208 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6209 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6210 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6211 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6212 not then be downloaded by this command.
6214 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6215 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6216 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6217 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6218 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6219 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6221 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6222 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6223 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6224 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6225 variables, the group is not cached.
6227 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6228 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6229 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6230 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6231 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6232 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6233 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6234 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6235 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6239 @node Persistent Articles
6240 @section Persistent Articles
6241 @cindex persistent articles
6243 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6244 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6245 useful in my opinion.
6247 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6248 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6249 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6250 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6251 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6252 the expiry going on at the news server.
6254 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6255 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6256 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6262 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6263 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6266 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6268 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6269 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6273 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6275 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6276 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6277 interested in persistent articles:
6280 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6284 @node Article Backlog
6285 @section Article Backlog
6287 @cindex article backlog
6289 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6290 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6291 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6292 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6293 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6294 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6295 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6296 increase memory usage some.
6298 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6299 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6300 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6301 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6302 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6303 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6304 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6306 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6309 @node Saving Articles
6310 @section Saving Articles
6311 @cindex saving articles
6313 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6314 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6315 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6316 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6317 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6319 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6320 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6321 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6323 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6324 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6325 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6326 deleted before saving.
6332 @kindex O o (Summary)
6334 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6335 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6336 Save the current article using the default article saver
6337 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6340 @kindex O m (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6342 Save the current article in mail format
6343 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6346 @kindex O r (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6348 Save the current article in rmail format
6349 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6352 @kindex O f (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6354 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6355 Save the current article in plain file format
6356 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6359 @kindex O F (Summary)
6360 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6361 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6362 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6365 @kindex O b (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6367 Save the current article body in plain file format
6368 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6371 @kindex O h (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6373 Save the current article in mh folder format
6374 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6377 @kindex O v (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6379 Save the current article in a VM folder
6380 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6383 @kindex O p (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6385 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6386 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6389 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6390 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6391 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6392 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6393 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6394 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6395 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6396 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6397 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6398 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6399 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6400 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6404 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6405 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6406 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6407 functions below, or you can create your own.
6411 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6412 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6413 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6414 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6415 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6416 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6417 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6419 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6420 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6421 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6422 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6423 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6424 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6426 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6427 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6428 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6429 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6430 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6431 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6432 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6434 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6435 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6436 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6437 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6438 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6440 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6441 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6442 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6443 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6444 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6447 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6448 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6449 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6450 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6451 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6453 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6454 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6455 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6456 reader to use this setting.
6459 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6460 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6461 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6462 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6465 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6466 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6467 available functions that generate names:
6471 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6472 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6473 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6475 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6476 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6477 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6479 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6480 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6481 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6483 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6484 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6485 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6488 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6489 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6490 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6491 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6492 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6496 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6497 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6498 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6499 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6502 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6503 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6504 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6505 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6506 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6507 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6508 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6509 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6510 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6512 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6513 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6514 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6515 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6517 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6518 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6519 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6522 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6523 lots of mail groups called things like
6524 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6525 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6526 following will do just that:
6529 (defun my-save-name (group)
6530 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6531 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6533 (setq gnus-split-methods
6534 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6539 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6540 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6541 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6542 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6543 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6544 all the files in the top level directory
6545 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6546 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6547 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6548 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6550 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6551 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6552 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6553 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6554 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6557 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6561 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6562 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6565 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6566 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6567 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6568 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6571 @node Decoding Articles
6572 @section Decoding Articles
6573 @cindex decoding articles
6575 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6576 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6579 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6580 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6581 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6582 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6583 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6584 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6588 @cindex article series
6589 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6590 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6591 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6592 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6593 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6595 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6596 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6597 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6599 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6600 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6601 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6603 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6604 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6605 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6608 @node Uuencoded Articles
6609 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6611 @cindex uuencoded articles
6616 @kindex X u (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6618 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6619 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6622 @kindex X U (Summary)
6623 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6624 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6625 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6628 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6630 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6633 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6634 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6635 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6636 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6640 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6641 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6642 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6643 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6644 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6646 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6647 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6648 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6649 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6652 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6653 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6654 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6655 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6656 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6657 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6661 @node Shell Archives
6662 @subsection Shell Archives
6664 @cindex shell archives
6665 @cindex shared articles
6667 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6668 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6669 some commands to deal with these:
6674 @kindex X s (Summary)
6675 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6676 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6679 @kindex X S (Summary)
6680 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6681 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6684 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6685 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6686 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6689 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6690 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6691 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6692 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6696 @node PostScript Files
6697 @subsection PostScript Files
6703 @kindex X p (Summary)
6704 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6705 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6708 @kindex X P (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6710 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6711 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6714 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6715 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6716 View the current PostScript series
6717 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6720 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6721 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6722 View and save the current PostScript series
6723 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6728 @subsection Other Files
6732 @kindex X o (Summary)
6733 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6734 Save the current series
6735 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6738 @kindex X b (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6740 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6741 doesn't really work yet.
6745 @node Decoding Variables
6746 @subsection Decoding Variables
6748 Adjective, not verb.
6751 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6752 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6753 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6757 @node Rule Variables
6758 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6759 @cindex rule variables
6761 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6762 variables are of the form
6765 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6772 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6773 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6775 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6776 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6779 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6780 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6783 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6784 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6785 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6786 user and default view rules.
6788 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6789 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6790 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6795 @node Other Decode Variables
6796 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6799 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6801 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6802 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6803 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6804 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6805 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6809 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6810 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6813 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6814 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6815 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6818 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6819 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6820 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6821 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6822 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6825 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6826 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6827 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6829 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6830 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6831 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6832 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6833 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6836 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6837 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6838 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6840 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6841 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6842 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6843 looking for files to display.
6845 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6846 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6847 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6850 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6851 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6852 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6855 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6856 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6857 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6860 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6861 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6862 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6865 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6866 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6867 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6868 decoded articles as unread.
6870 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6871 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6872 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6873 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6875 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6876 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6877 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6879 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6880 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6882 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6883 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6884 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6885 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6887 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6888 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6889 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6890 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6891 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6892 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6893 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6894 simply dropped them.
6899 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6900 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6904 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6905 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6906 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6907 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6908 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6909 for you when you post the article.
6911 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6912 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6913 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6914 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6916 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6917 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6918 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6919 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6920 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6921 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6922 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6924 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6925 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6926 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6927 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6928 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6929 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6930 Default is @code{t}.
6936 @subsection Viewing Files
6937 @cindex viewing files
6938 @cindex pseudo-articles
6940 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6941 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6942 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6943 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6944 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6945 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6946 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6948 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6949 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6950 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6951 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6953 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6954 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6955 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6957 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6958 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6959 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6960 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6961 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6963 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6964 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6965 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6966 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6967 a list of parameters to that command.
6969 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6970 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6971 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6973 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6974 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6975 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6978 @node Article Treatment
6979 @section Article Treatment
6981 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6982 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6983 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6984 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6985 these articles easier.
6988 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6989 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6990 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6991 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6992 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6993 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6994 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6995 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6999 @node Article Highlighting
7000 @subsection Article Highlighting
7001 @cindex highlighting
7003 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7004 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7009 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7010 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7011 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7012 Do much highlighting of the current article
7013 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7014 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7017 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7018 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7019 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7020 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7021 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7022 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7023 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7024 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7025 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7026 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7027 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7028 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7031 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7032 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7033 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7035 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7038 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7040 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7041 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7042 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7044 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7045 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7046 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7048 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7049 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7050 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7051 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7052 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7053 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7055 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7056 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7057 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7059 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7060 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7061 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7063 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7064 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7065 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7066 that it's a citation.
7068 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7069 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7070 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7072 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7073 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7074 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7076 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7077 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7078 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7079 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7085 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7086 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7087 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7088 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7089 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7090 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7091 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7092 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7097 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7100 @node Article Fontisizing
7101 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7103 @cindex article emphasis
7105 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7106 @kindex W e (Summary)
7107 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7108 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7109 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7110 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7112 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7113 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7114 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7115 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7116 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7117 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7118 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7119 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7123 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7124 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7125 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7134 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7135 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7136 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7137 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7138 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7139 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7140 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7141 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7142 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7143 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7144 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7145 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7146 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7148 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7149 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7150 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7154 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7157 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7159 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7160 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7161 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7162 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7164 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7167 @node Article Hiding
7168 @subsection Article Hiding
7169 @cindex article hiding
7171 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7172 too much cruft in most articles.
7177 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7178 @findex gnus-article-hide
7179 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7180 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7181 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7184 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7185 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7186 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7190 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7191 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7192 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7193 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7196 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7198 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7202 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7203 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7204 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7205 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7206 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7207 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7208 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7209 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7213 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7214 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7215 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7216 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7221 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7222 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7223 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7224 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7225 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7226 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7227 articles that have signatures in them do:
7229 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7231 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7233 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7234 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7236 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7239 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7244 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7245 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7246 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7247 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7250 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7251 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7254 @cindex stripping advertisements
7255 @cindex advertisements
7256 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7257 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7258 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7259 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7260 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7261 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7262 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7263 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7264 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7265 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7269 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7270 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7271 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7272 customizing the hiding:
7276 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7277 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7278 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7279 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7280 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7281 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7282 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7287 Starting point of the hidden text.
7289 Ending point of the hidden text.
7291 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7293 Number of lines of hidden text.
7296 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7297 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7298 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7299 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7300 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7305 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7308 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7309 following two variables:
7312 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7313 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7314 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7315 50), hide the cited text.
7317 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7318 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7319 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7324 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7325 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7326 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7327 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7328 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7329 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7333 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7334 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7335 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7337 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7338 citation customization.
7340 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7344 @node Article Washing
7345 @subsection Article Washing
7347 @cindex article washing
7349 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7350 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7352 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7353 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7356 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7357 articles by default.
7362 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7363 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7367 @kindex W l (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7369 Remove page breaks from the current article
7370 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7374 @kindex W r (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7376 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7377 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7379 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7380 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7382 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7383 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7384 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7385 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7389 @kindex W t (Summary)
7391 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7392 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7393 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7396 @kindex W v (Summary)
7397 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7398 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7399 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7402 @kindex W m (Summary)
7403 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7404 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7405 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7408 @kindex W o (Summary)
7409 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7410 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7413 @kindex W d (Summary)
7414 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7415 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7417 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7419 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7420 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7421 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7422 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7425 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7426 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7427 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7428 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7431 @kindex W w (Summary)
7432 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7433 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7435 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7439 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7440 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7441 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7444 @kindex W C (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7446 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7447 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7450 @kindex W c (Summary)
7451 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7452 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7453 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7454 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7455 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7458 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7460 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7461 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7462 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7463 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7464 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7468 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7469 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7470 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7471 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7472 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7475 @kindex W h (Summary)
7476 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7477 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7478 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7479 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7483 @kindex W f (Summary)
7485 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7486 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7487 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7488 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7495 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7496 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7497 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7498 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7499 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7500 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7501 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7502 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7503 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7504 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7505 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7506 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7507 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7508 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7509 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7510 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7511 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7512 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7513 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7514 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7518 @kindex W b (Summary)
7519 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7520 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7521 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7524 @kindex W B (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7526 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7527 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7530 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7532 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7533 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7536 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7538 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7539 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7542 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7543 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7544 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7545 lines with a single empty line.
7546 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7549 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7550 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7551 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7552 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7555 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7556 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7557 Do all the three commands above
7558 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7561 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7562 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7563 Remove all blank lines
7564 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7567 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7568 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7569 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7570 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7573 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7574 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7575 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7576 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7580 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7583 @node Article Buttons
7584 @subsection Article Buttons
7587 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7588 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7589 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7590 button on these references.
7592 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7593 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7594 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7599 @item gnus-button-alist
7600 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7601 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7604 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7610 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7611 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7612 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7615 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7616 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7617 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7620 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7621 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7622 avoid false matches.
7625 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7628 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7629 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7633 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7636 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7639 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7640 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7641 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7642 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7643 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7646 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7649 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7651 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7652 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7653 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7654 default values of the variables above.
7656 @item gnus-article-button-face
7657 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7658 Face used on buttons.
7660 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7661 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7662 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7666 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7670 @subsection Article Date
7672 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7673 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7674 when the article was sent.
7679 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7680 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7681 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7682 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7685 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7688 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7689 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7692 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7693 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7694 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7697 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7698 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7699 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7700 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7703 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7704 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7705 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7706 @findex format-time-string
7707 Display the date using a user-defined format
7708 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7709 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7710 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7711 for a list of possible format specs.
7714 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7715 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7716 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7717 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7718 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7719 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7722 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7725 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7726 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7729 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7730 into wonderful absurdities.
7732 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7735 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7738 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7739 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7743 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7744 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7745 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7746 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7747 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7748 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7749 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7753 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7754 preferred format automatically.
7757 @node Article Signature
7758 @subsection Article Signature
7760 @cindex article signature
7762 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7763 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7764 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7765 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7766 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7767 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7768 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7769 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7770 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7773 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7774 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7775 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7776 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7777 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7778 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7779 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7780 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7783 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7786 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7787 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7788 signature when displaying articles.
7792 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7795 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7798 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7799 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7801 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7802 in question is not a signature.
7805 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7806 listed above. Here's an example:
7809 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7810 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7813 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7814 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7815 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7816 signature after all.
7819 @node Article Miscellania
7820 @subsection Article Miscellania
7824 @kindex A t (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-article-babel
7826 Translate the article from one language to another
7827 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7833 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7834 @cindex MIME decoding
7836 @cindex viewing attachments
7838 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7839 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7845 @kindex K v (Summary)
7846 View the @sc{mime} part.
7849 @kindex K o (Summary)
7850 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7853 @kindex K c (Summary)
7854 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7857 @kindex K e (Summary)
7858 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7861 @kindex K i (Summary)
7862 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7865 @kindex K | (Summary)
7866 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7869 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7874 @kindex K b (Summary)
7875 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7876 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7880 @kindex K m (Summary)
7881 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7882 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7883 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7884 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7885 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7888 @kindex X m (Summary)
7889 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7890 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7891 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7892 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7895 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7896 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7897 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7898 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7901 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7902 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7903 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7906 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7907 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7908 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7910 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7911 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7912 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7913 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7914 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7915 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7918 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7919 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7920 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7927 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7928 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7929 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7930 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7933 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7936 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7940 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7941 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7942 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7943 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7944 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7946 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7947 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7948 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7949 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7950 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7951 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7952 save all jpegs into some directory).
7954 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7957 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7958 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7960 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7961 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7962 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7963 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7964 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7967 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7968 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7969 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7978 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7979 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7980 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7981 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7982 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7983 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7984 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7986 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7987 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7988 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7989 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7991 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7992 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7993 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7994 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7995 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7996 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7997 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7998 something some agents insist on having in there.
8000 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8001 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8002 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8003 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8004 quoted-printable header encoding.
8006 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8007 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8008 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8012 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8015 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8016 means encode all charsets),
8018 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8019 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8020 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8027 @cindex coding system aliases
8028 @cindex preferred charset
8030 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8032 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8033 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8036 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8037 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8040 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8041 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8043 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8046 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8049 This will almost do the right thing.
8051 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8055 (codepage-setup 1251)
8056 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8060 @node Article Commands
8061 @section Article Commands
8068 @kindex A P (Summary)
8069 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8070 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8071 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8072 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8073 run just before printing the buffer.
8078 @node Summary Sorting
8079 @section Summary Sorting
8080 @cindex summary sorting
8082 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8083 can't really see why you'd want that.
8088 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8089 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8090 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8093 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8094 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8095 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8098 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8099 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8100 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8103 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8104 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8105 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8108 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8109 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8110 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8113 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8114 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8115 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8118 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8119 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8120 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8123 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8124 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8125 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8126 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8127 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8131 @node Finding the Parent
8132 @section Finding the Parent
8133 @cindex parent articles
8134 @cindex referring articles
8139 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8140 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8141 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8142 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8143 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8144 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8145 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8146 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8147 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8149 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8150 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8151 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8152 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8153 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8157 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8158 @kindex A R (Summary)
8159 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8160 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8163 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8164 @kindex A T (Summary)
8165 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8166 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8167 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8168 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8169 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8170 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8171 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8173 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8174 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8175 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8176 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8177 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8178 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8181 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8182 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8184 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8185 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8186 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8187 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8188 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8189 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8190 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8193 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8194 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8195 by giving this command a prefix.
8197 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8198 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8199 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8200 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8201 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8202 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8205 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8206 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8207 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8210 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8211 then ask Deja if that fails:
8214 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8216 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8219 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8220 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8221 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8222 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8223 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8224 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8227 @node Alternative Approaches
8228 @section Alternative Approaches
8230 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8231 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8234 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8235 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8240 @subsection Pick and Read
8241 @cindex pick and read
8243 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8244 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8245 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8246 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8248 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8249 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8250 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8251 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8252 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8253 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8255 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8260 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8261 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8262 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8263 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8264 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8265 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8266 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8267 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8270 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8271 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8272 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8273 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8277 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8278 Unpick the thread or article
8279 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8280 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8281 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8282 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8283 the thread or article at that line.
8287 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8288 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8289 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8290 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8291 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8292 will still be visible when you are reading.
8296 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8297 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8298 which is mapped to the same function
8299 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8301 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8304 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8307 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8308 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8310 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8311 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8312 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8314 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8315 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8316 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8317 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8318 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8319 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8320 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8324 @subsection Binary Groups
8325 @cindex binary groups
8327 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8328 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8329 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8330 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8331 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8332 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8333 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8336 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8337 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8338 command, when you have turned on this mode
8339 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8341 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8342 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8346 @section Tree Display
8349 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8350 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8351 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8352 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8355 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8358 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8359 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8360 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8362 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8363 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8364 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8365 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8366 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8368 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8369 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8370 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8371 default is @code{modeline}.
8373 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8374 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8375 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8376 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8377 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8378 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8379 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8385 The name of the poster.
8387 The @code{From} header.
8389 The number of the article.
8391 The opening bracket.
8393 The closing bracket.
8398 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8400 Variables related to the display are:
8403 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8404 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8405 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8406 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8407 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8408 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8410 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8411 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8412 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8413 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8417 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8418 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8419 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8420 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8421 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8422 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8423 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8424 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8425 other windows displayed next to it.
8427 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8428 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8429 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8430 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8431 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8432 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8433 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8437 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8440 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8450 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8454 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8455 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8457 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8459 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8464 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8465 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8466 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8469 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8470 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8471 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8472 (gnus-add-configuration
8476 (summary 0.75 point)
8481 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8484 @node Mail Group Commands
8485 @section Mail Group Commands
8486 @cindex mail group commands
8488 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8489 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8491 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8492 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8497 @kindex B e (Summary)
8498 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8499 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8500 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8503 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8505 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8506 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8507 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8508 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8511 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8512 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8513 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8514 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8515 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8516 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8519 @kindex B m (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8522 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8523 Move the article from one mail group to another
8524 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8525 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8528 @kindex B c (Summary)
8530 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8531 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8532 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8533 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8534 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8537 @kindex B B (Summary)
8538 @cindex crosspost mail
8539 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8540 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8541 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8542 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8543 be properly updated.
8546 @kindex B i (Summary)
8547 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8548 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8549 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8550 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8553 @kindex B r (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8555 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8556 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8557 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8558 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8559 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8560 (which is the default).
8564 @kindex B w (Summary)
8566 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8567 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8568 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8569 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8570 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8571 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8574 @kindex B q (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8576 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8577 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8578 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8581 @kindex B t (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8583 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8584 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8587 @kindex B p (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8589 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8590 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8591 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8592 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8593 article from your news server (or rather, from
8594 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8595 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8596 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8597 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8598 just not have arrived yet.
8602 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8603 @cindex moving articles
8604 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8605 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8606 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8607 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8608 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8609 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8610 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8613 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8614 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8615 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8616 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8620 @node Various Summary Stuff
8621 @section Various Summary Stuff
8624 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8625 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8626 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8627 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8631 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8632 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8633 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8635 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8636 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8637 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8638 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8639 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8640 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8643 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8644 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8645 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8646 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8647 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8649 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8650 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8651 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8654 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8655 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8656 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8657 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8658 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8659 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8660 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8661 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8662 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8663 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8665 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8666 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8667 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8668 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8669 list of articles to be selected.
8671 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8672 the list in one particular group:
8675 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8676 (if (string= group "some.group")
8677 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8684 @node Summary Group Information
8685 @subsection Summary Group Information
8690 @kindex H f (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8692 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8693 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8694 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8695 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8696 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8697 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8698 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8699 be used for fetching the file.
8702 @kindex H d (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8704 Give a brief description of the current group
8705 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8706 rereading the description from the server.
8709 @kindex H h (Summary)
8710 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8711 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8712 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8715 @kindex H i (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8717 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8721 @node Searching for Articles
8722 @subsection Searching for Articles
8727 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8728 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8729 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8730 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8733 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8734 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8735 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8736 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8740 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8741 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8742 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8743 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8744 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8745 search backward instead.
8747 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8748 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8751 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8752 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8753 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8754 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8757 @node Summary Generation Commands
8758 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8763 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8764 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8765 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8768 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8769 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8770 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8771 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8776 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8777 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8783 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8784 @kindex A D (Summary)
8785 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8786 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8787 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8788 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8789 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8790 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8791 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8792 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8796 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8798 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8799 several documents into one biiig group
8800 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8801 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8802 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8803 command understands the process/prefix convention
8804 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8807 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8808 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8809 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8810 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8811 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8812 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8816 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8817 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8818 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8821 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8822 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8823 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8824 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8827 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8828 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8829 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8830 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8835 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8836 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8837 @cindex summary exit
8838 @cindex exiting groups
8840 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8841 group and return you to the group buffer.
8847 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8850 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8851 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8852 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8853 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8854 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8855 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8856 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8857 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8858 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8859 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8863 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8865 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8866 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8867 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8871 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8873 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8874 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8875 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8876 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8879 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8880 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8881 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8882 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8885 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8886 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8887 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8888 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8891 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8892 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8893 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8894 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8895 all articles, both read and unread.
8899 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8900 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8901 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8902 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8903 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8904 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8905 articles, both read and unread.
8908 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8909 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8910 Exit the group and go to the next group
8911 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8914 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8915 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8916 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8917 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8920 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8921 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8922 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8923 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8924 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8925 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8928 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8929 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8930 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8931 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8933 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8934 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8935 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8936 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8937 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8938 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8939 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8940 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8941 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8942 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8943 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8944 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8946 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8948 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8949 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8950 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8951 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8952 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8953 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8954 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8955 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8956 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8959 @node Crosspost Handling
8960 @section Crosspost Handling
8964 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8965 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8966 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8967 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8968 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8969 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8972 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8973 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8974 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8975 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8976 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8978 @cindex cross-posting
8981 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8982 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8983 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8984 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8985 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8986 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8987 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8988 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8989 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8990 the cross reference mechanism.
8992 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8993 @cindex overview.fmt
8994 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8995 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8996 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8997 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8998 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8999 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9002 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9003 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9004 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9009 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9012 @node Duplicate Suppression
9013 @section Duplicate Suppression
9015 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9016 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9017 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9018 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9023 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9024 is evil and not very common.
9027 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9028 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9031 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9032 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9035 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9038 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9039 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9041 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9042 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9043 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9044 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9045 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9046 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9047 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9050 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9051 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9052 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9053 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9054 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9058 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9059 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9060 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9062 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9063 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9064 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9065 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9066 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9067 session are suppressed.
9069 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9070 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9071 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9072 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9074 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9075 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9076 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9077 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9080 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9081 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9082 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9083 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9084 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9085 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9086 to you to figure out, I think.
9091 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9096 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9102 @item mm-verify-option
9103 @vindex mm-verify-option
9104 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9105 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9106 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9108 @item mm-decrypt-option
9109 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9110 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9111 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9112 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9116 @node The Article Buffer
9117 @chapter The Article Buffer
9118 @cindex article buffer
9120 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9121 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9122 tell gnus otherwise.
9125 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9126 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9127 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9128 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9129 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9133 @node Hiding Headers
9134 @section Hiding Headers
9135 @cindex hiding headers
9136 @cindex deleting headers
9138 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9139 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9141 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9142 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9143 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9144 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9145 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9146 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9147 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9148 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9149 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9151 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9155 @item gnus-visible-headers
9156 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9157 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9158 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9159 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9161 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9162 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9165 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9168 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9171 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9172 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9173 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9174 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9175 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9176 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9178 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9179 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9182 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9185 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9188 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9189 variable will have no effect.
9193 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9194 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9195 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9196 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9197 the headers are to be displayed.
9199 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9200 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9203 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9206 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9207 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9209 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9210 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9211 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9212 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9213 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9214 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9215 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9218 These conditions are:
9221 Remove all empty headers.
9223 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9224 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9226 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9229 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9232 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9233 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9235 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9238 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9240 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9243 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9246 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9247 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9250 This is also the default value for this variable.
9254 @section Using @sc{mime}
9257 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9258 while people stand around yawning.
9260 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9261 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9263 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9264 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9265 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9267 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9268 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9269 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9270 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9271 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9272 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9273 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9274 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9275 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9276 existed yet, sorry).
9278 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9279 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9280 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9281 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9282 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9283 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9285 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9286 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9287 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9288 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9289 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9290 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9291 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9292 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9293 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9296 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9298 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9299 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9300 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9301 buffer when there are nobody else.
9303 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9306 @node Customizing Articles
9307 @section Customizing Articles
9308 @cindex article customization
9310 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9311 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9312 called automatically when you select the articles.
9314 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9315 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9316 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9317 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9319 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9320 for sensible values.
9324 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9327 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9330 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9333 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9336 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9340 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9341 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9342 regexps in the list.
9345 A list where the first element is not a string:
9347 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9348 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9349 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9353 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9357 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9362 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9363 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9364 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9365 considered to contain just a single part.
9367 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9368 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9369 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9370 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9371 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9372 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9373 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9375 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9376 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9377 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9378 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9381 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9382 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9383 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9384 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9385 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9386 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9387 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9388 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9389 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9390 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9391 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9392 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9393 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9394 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9395 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9396 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9397 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9398 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9399 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9400 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9401 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9402 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9403 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9404 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9405 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9406 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9407 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9408 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9409 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9410 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9411 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9412 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9413 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9414 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9415 @item gnus-treat-translate
9416 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9419 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9420 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9421 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9422 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9423 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9427 @node Article Keymap
9428 @section Article Keymap
9430 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9431 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9432 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9433 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9436 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9441 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9442 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9443 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9446 @kindex DEL (Article)
9447 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9448 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9451 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9452 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9453 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9454 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9455 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9458 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9459 @findex gnus-article-mail
9460 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9461 given a prefix, include the mail.
9465 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9466 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9467 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9471 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9472 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9473 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9476 @kindex TAB (Article)
9477 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9478 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9479 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9482 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9483 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9484 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9490 @section Misc Article
9494 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9495 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9496 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9497 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9500 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9501 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9503 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9504 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9506 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9507 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9508 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9509 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9510 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9511 the contents of the article buffer.
9513 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9514 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9515 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9517 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9518 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9519 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9520 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9522 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9523 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9524 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9525 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9526 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9531 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9532 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9535 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9538 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9540 @item gnus-break-pages
9541 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9542 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9543 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9544 paging will not be done.
9546 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9547 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9548 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9553 @node Composing Messages
9554 @chapter Composing Messages
9555 @cindex composing messages
9558 @cindex sending mail
9564 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9565 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9566 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9567 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9568 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9569 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9572 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9573 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9574 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9575 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9576 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9577 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9578 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9579 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9582 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9583 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9589 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9592 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9593 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9594 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9595 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9597 @item gnus-add-to-list
9598 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9599 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9600 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9605 @node Posting Server
9606 @section Posting Server
9608 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9609 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9611 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9613 @vindex gnus-post-method
9615 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
9616 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9617 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9618 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9619 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9622 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9625 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9626 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9627 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9628 the ``current'' server for posting.
9630 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9631 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9633 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9634 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9637 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9638 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9639 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9644 @section Mail and Post
9646 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9650 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9651 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9652 @cindex mailing lists
9654 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9655 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9656 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9657 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9658 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9659 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9660 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9661 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9662 still a pain, though.
9666 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9667 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9668 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9671 @findex ispell-message
9673 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9676 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9677 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9680 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9683 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9684 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9686 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9689 Modify to suit your needs.
9692 @node Archived Messages
9693 @section Archived Messages
9694 @cindex archived messages
9695 @cindex sent messages
9697 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9698 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9699 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9700 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9703 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9704 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9705 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9709 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9710 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9711 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9712 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9715 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9716 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
9717 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9718 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9721 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9722 '(nnfolder "archive"
9723 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9724 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9725 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9728 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9730 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9731 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9732 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9734 This variable can be used to do the following:
9738 Messages will be saved in that group.
9740 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9741 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9742 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9743 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9744 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9745 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9746 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9747 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9749 @item a list of strings
9750 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9751 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9752 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9754 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9759 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9761 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9764 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9766 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9769 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9771 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9772 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9773 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9774 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9779 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9780 '((if (message-news-p)
9785 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9786 messages in one file per month:
9789 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9790 '((if (message-news-p)
9792 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9795 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9796 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9798 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9799 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9800 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9801 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9802 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9803 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9804 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9805 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9806 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9807 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9809 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9810 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9811 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9812 this will disable archiving.
9815 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9816 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9817 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9818 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9819 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9822 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9823 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9824 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9827 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9828 but the latter is the preferred method.
9830 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9831 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9832 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9837 @node Posting Styles
9838 @section Posting Styles
9839 @cindex posting styles
9842 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9844 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9845 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9846 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9849 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9850 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9851 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9852 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9853 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9858 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9859 (organization "What me?"))
9861 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9862 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9863 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9866 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9867 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9868 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9869 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9870 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9871 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9872 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9873 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9875 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9876 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9877 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9878 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9879 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9880 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9881 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9882 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9885 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9886 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9887 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9888 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9889 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9890 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9891 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9892 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9893 result is thrown away.
9895 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9896 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9897 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9898 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9899 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9900 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9902 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9903 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9904 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9906 @findex message-mail-p
9907 @findex message-news-p
9909 So here's a new example:
9912 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9914 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9916 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9917 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9919 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9920 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9921 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9923 (signature my-news-signature))
9924 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9925 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9926 ((posting-from-work-p)
9927 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9928 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9929 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9930 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9932 (From (save-excursion
9933 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
9934 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
9936 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9939 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
9940 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
9941 if you fill many roles.
9948 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9949 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9950 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9951 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9952 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9954 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9955 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9956 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9957 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9958 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9962 @vindex nndraft-directory
9963 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9964 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9965 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9966 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9967 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9968 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9970 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9971 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9974 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9975 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9976 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9977 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9978 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9979 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9980 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9981 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9982 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9983 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9984 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9985 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9986 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9987 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9989 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9990 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9991 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9993 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9995 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9996 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9997 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9999 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10002 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10003 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10004 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10005 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10006 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10007 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10008 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10011 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10012 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10013 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10016 @node Rejected Articles
10017 @section Rejected Articles
10018 @cindex rejected articles
10020 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10021 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10022 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10023 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10025 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10026 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10027 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10028 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10029 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10031 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10032 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10033 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10039 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10040 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10041 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10043 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10044 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10048 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10049 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10052 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10053 to 700, for your own safety.
10055 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10056 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10060 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10063 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10064 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10067 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10070 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10071 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10072 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10073 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10074 encrypt using S/MIME.
10076 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10077 you've typed it correctly.
10079 @node Select Methods
10080 @chapter Select Methods
10081 @cindex foreign groups
10082 @cindex select methods
10084 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10085 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10086 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10087 personal mail group.
10089 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10090 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10091 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10092 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10093 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10094 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10096 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10097 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10099 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10102 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10103 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10104 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10105 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10106 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10108 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10111 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10112 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10113 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10114 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10115 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10116 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10117 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10121 @node The Server Buffer
10122 @section The Server Buffer
10124 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10125 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10126 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10127 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10128 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10129 backend represents a virtual server.
10131 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10132 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10133 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10134 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10136 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10137 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10138 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10139 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10140 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10141 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10142 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10144 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10145 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10148 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10149 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10150 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10151 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10152 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10153 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10154 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10157 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10158 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10161 @node Server Buffer Format
10162 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10163 @cindex server buffer format
10165 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10166 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10167 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10168 variable, with some simple extensions:
10173 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10176 The name of this server.
10179 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10182 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10185 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10186 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10187 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10188 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10198 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10201 @node Server Commands
10202 @subsection Server Commands
10203 @cindex server commands
10209 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10210 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10214 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10215 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10218 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10219 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10220 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10224 @findex gnus-server-exit
10225 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10229 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10230 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10234 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10235 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10239 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10240 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10244 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10245 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10249 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10250 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10251 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10256 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10257 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10258 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10259 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10264 @node Example Methods
10265 @subsection Example Methods
10267 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10270 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10273 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10279 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10280 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10283 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10284 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10286 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10287 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10291 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10294 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10295 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10297 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10298 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10299 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10303 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10306 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10309 Here's the method for a public spool:
10313 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10314 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10320 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10321 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10322 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10323 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10324 should probably look something like this:
10328 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10329 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10330 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10331 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10332 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10335 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10336 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10337 server that would look something like this:
10341 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10342 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10343 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10344 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10345 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10346 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10349 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10350 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10351 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10352 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10355 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10356 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10358 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10359 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10361 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10362 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10363 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10365 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10367 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10368 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10369 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10370 will contain the following:
10380 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10381 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10382 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10385 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10386 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10387 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10390 @node Server Variables
10391 @subsection Server Variables
10393 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10394 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10395 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10396 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10397 won't change the "derived" variables.
10399 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10400 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10401 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10402 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10403 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10404 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10405 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10406 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10407 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10411 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10412 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10413 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10417 @node Servers and Methods
10418 @subsection Servers and Methods
10420 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10421 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10422 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10423 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10427 @node Unavailable Servers
10428 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10430 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10431 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10432 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10433 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10434 actually the case or not.
10436 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10437 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10438 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10439 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10440 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10441 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10442 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10443 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10445 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10446 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10448 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10449 with the following commands:
10455 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10456 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10457 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10461 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10462 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10463 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10467 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10468 Mark the current server as unreachable
10469 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10472 @kindex M-o (Server)
10473 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10474 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10475 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10478 @kindex M-c (Server)
10479 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10480 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10481 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10485 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10486 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10487 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10493 @section Getting News
10494 @cindex reading news
10495 @cindex news backends
10497 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10498 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10499 or it can read from a local spool.
10502 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10503 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10508 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10511 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10512 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10513 server as the, uhm, address.
10515 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10516 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10517 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10518 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10520 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10521 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10522 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10524 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10529 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10530 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10531 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10533 @cindex authentification
10534 @cindex nntp authentification
10535 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10536 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10537 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10538 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10539 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10540 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10541 present in this hook.
10543 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10544 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10545 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10546 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10547 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10548 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10549 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10550 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10551 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10552 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10553 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10554 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10558 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10561 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10563 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10564 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10565 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10566 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10567 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10568 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10569 @samp{force} is explained below.
10573 Here's an example file:
10576 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10577 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10580 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10581 have to be first, for instance.
10583 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10584 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10585 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10586 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10587 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10588 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10589 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10591 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10592 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10598 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10599 previously mentioned.
10601 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10603 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10604 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10605 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10606 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10607 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10610 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10611 '(("innd" (ding))))
10614 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10616 The default value is
10619 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10620 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10623 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10624 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10626 @item nntp-maximum-request
10627 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10628 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10629 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10630 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10631 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10632 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10633 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10635 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10636 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10637 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10638 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10639 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10640 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10641 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10642 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10643 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10644 no timeouts are done.
10646 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10647 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10648 @c @cindex PPP connections
10649 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10650 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10651 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10652 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10653 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10654 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10655 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10656 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10657 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10658 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10660 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10661 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10662 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10663 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10664 @c described above.
10666 @item nntp-server-hook
10667 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10668 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10671 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10672 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10673 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10674 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10675 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10676 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10677 functions are supplied:
10680 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10681 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10684 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10685 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10686 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10689 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10693 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10694 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10695 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10696 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10698 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10699 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10700 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10702 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10703 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10704 User name on the remote system.
10708 @item nntp-open-telnet
10709 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10710 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10712 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10715 @item nntp-telnet-command
10716 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10717 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10719 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10720 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10721 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10723 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10724 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10725 User name for log in on the remote system.
10727 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10728 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10729 Password to use when logging in.
10731 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10732 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10733 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10736 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10737 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10738 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10739 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10741 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10742 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10743 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10744 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10745 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10749 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10750 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10751 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10752 you must have SSLay installed
10753 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10754 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
10755 define a server as follows:
10758 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10760 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10762 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10763 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10764 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10765 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10770 @item nntp-end-of-line
10771 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10772 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10773 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10774 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10776 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10777 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10778 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10782 @vindex nntp-address
10783 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10785 @item nntp-port-number
10786 @vindex nntp-port-number
10787 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10790 @item nntp-list-options
10791 @vindex nntp-list-options
10792 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
10793 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
10794 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
10795 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
10796 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
10800 (setq gnus-select-method
10801 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10802 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
10805 @item nntp-options-subscribe
10806 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
10807 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
10808 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10809 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10810 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10811 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10814 (setq gnus-select-method
10815 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10816 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
10819 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
10820 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
10821 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
10822 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10823 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10824 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10825 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10828 (setq gnus-select-method
10829 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10830 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
10833 @item nntp-buggy-select
10834 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10835 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10837 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10838 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10839 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10840 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10843 @item nntp-xover-commands
10844 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10847 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10848 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10852 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10853 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10854 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10855 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10856 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10857 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10858 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10859 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10860 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10861 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10862 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10864 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10865 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10866 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10868 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10869 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10870 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10871 server closes connection.
10873 @item nntp-record-commands
10874 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10875 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10876 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10877 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10878 that doesn't seem to work.
10884 @subsection News Spool
10888 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10889 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10890 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10893 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10894 anything else) as the address.
10896 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10897 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10898 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10899 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10903 @item nnspool-inews-program
10904 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10905 Program used to post an article.
10907 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10908 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10909 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10911 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10912 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10913 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10914 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10916 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10917 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10918 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10919 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10921 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10922 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10923 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10925 @item nnspool-active-file
10926 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10927 The path to the active file.
10929 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10930 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10931 The path to the group descriptions file.
10933 @item nnspool-history-file
10934 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10935 The path to the news history file.
10937 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10938 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10939 The path to the active date file.
10941 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10942 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10943 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10946 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10947 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10949 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10950 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10951 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10957 @section Getting Mail
10958 @cindex reading mail
10961 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10965 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10966 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10967 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10968 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10969 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10970 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10971 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10972 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10973 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10974 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10975 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10976 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10977 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10981 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10982 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10984 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10985 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10986 of a culture shock.
10988 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10989 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10991 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10992 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10993 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10994 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10996 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10998 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10999 deleted? How awful!
11001 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11002 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11003 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11004 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11007 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11008 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11009 they want to treat a message.
11011 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11012 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11013 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11014 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11015 archived somewhere else.
11017 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11018 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11019 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11020 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11021 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11023 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11024 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11025 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11027 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11028 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11031 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11032 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11033 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11034 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11035 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11037 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11038 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11039 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11040 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11041 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11042 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11046 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11047 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11049 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11050 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11051 and things will happen automatically.
11053 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11054 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11057 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11058 '((nnml "private")))
11061 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11062 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11063 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11064 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11065 like any other group.
11067 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11070 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11071 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11072 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11076 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11077 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11078 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11081 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11082 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11083 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11086 @node Splitting Mail
11087 @subsection Splitting Mail
11088 @cindex splitting mail
11089 @cindex mail splitting
11091 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11092 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11093 to be split into groups.
11096 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11097 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11098 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11099 ("mail.other" "")))
11102 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11103 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11104 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11105 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11106 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11107 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11108 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11111 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11114 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11115 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11116 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11117 mail belongs in that group.
11119 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11120 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11121 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11122 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11123 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11124 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11126 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11127 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11128 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11129 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11130 thinks should carry this mail message.
11132 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11133 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11134 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11135 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11137 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11138 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11139 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11140 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11141 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11143 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11146 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11147 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11148 links. If that's the case for you, set
11149 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11150 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11152 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11153 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11154 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11155 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11156 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11157 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11160 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11161 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11162 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11163 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11164 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11165 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11166 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11167 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11168 month's rent money.
11172 @subsection Mail Sources
11174 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11175 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11179 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11180 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11181 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11185 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11186 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11188 @cindex mail server
11191 @cindex mail source
11193 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11194 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11199 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11202 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11203 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11204 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11207 The following mail source types are available:
11211 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11217 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11218 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11221 An example file mail source:
11224 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11227 Or using the default path:
11233 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11234 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11235 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11238 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11242 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11245 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11249 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11252 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11254 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11257 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11261 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11262 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11263 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11264 scan the mail source only once.
11270 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11274 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11278 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11279 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11280 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11281 predicate are considered.
11285 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11289 An example directory mail source:
11292 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11297 Get mail from a POP server.
11303 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11304 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11307 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11308 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11309 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11310 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11311 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11314 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11318 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11322 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11323 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11326 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11329 The valid format specifier characters are:
11333 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11334 included in this string.
11337 The name of the server.
11340 The port number of the server.
11343 The user name to use.
11346 The password to use.
11349 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11350 corresponding keywords.
11353 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11354 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11357 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11358 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11361 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11362 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11365 @item :authentication
11366 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11367 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11372 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11373 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11375 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11376 default user name, and default fetcher:
11382 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11385 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11386 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11389 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11392 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11396 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11397 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11398 contains exactly one mail.
11404 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11405 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11408 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11409 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11411 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11412 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11413 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11416 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11417 from locking problems).
11421 Two example maildir mail sources:
11424 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11428 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11432 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11433 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11434 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11435 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11442 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11443 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11446 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11447 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11450 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11454 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11458 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11459 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11460 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11462 @item :authentication
11463 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11464 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11465 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11469 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11470 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11471 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11477 The valid format specifier characters are:
11481 The name of the server.
11484 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11487 The port number of the server.
11490 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11491 corresponding keywords.
11494 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11495 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11498 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11499 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11500 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11501 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11502 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11503 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11506 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11507 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11508 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11509 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11512 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11513 after finishing the fetch.
11517 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11520 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11524 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11525 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11527 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11530 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11531 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11533 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11539 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11540 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11543 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11547 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11551 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11552 folder after finishing the fetch.
11556 An example webmail source:
11559 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11564 @item Common Keywords
11565 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11571 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11572 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11576 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11581 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11582 useful when you use local mail and news.
11587 @subsubsection Function Interface
11589 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11590 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11591 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11592 consider the following mail-source setting:
11595 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11596 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11599 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11600 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11601 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11602 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11603 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11605 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11608 @node Mail Source Customization
11609 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11611 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11612 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11616 @item mail-source-crash-box
11617 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11618 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11619 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11621 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11622 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11623 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11625 @item mail-source-directory
11626 @vindex mail-source-directory
11627 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11628 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11629 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11632 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11633 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11634 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11635 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11636 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11637 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11639 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11640 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11641 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11646 @node Fetching Mail
11647 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11649 @vindex mail-sources
11650 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11651 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11652 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11653 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11655 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11656 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11659 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11660 mail server, you'd say something like:
11665 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11666 :password "secret")))
11669 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11673 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11674 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11677 :password "secret")))
11681 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11682 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11683 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11684 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11685 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11686 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11690 @node Mail Backend Variables
11691 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11693 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11697 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11698 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11699 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11700 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11702 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11703 @item nnmail-split-hook
11704 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11705 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11706 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11707 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11708 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11709 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11710 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11711 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11712 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11715 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11716 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11717 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11718 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11719 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11720 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11721 starting to handle the new mail) and
11722 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11723 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11724 default file modes the new mail files get:
11727 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11728 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11730 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11731 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11734 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11735 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11736 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11737 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11738 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11739 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11740 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11742 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11743 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11744 @findex delete-file
11745 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11747 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11748 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11749 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11750 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11751 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11756 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11757 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11758 @cindex mail splitting
11759 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11761 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11762 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11763 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11764 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11765 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11766 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11768 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11771 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11772 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11773 ;; from real errors.
11774 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11776 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11777 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11778 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11779 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11780 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11781 ;; Other mailing lists...
11782 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11783 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11784 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11785 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11786 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11787 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11788 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11789 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11791 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11792 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11796 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11797 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11798 the five possible split syntaxes:
11803 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11804 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11808 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11809 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11810 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11811 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11812 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11813 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11814 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11815 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11818 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11819 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11820 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11821 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11824 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11825 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11828 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11829 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11832 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11833 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11834 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11835 function should return a @var{split}.
11837 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11838 body of the messages:
11841 (defun split-on-body ()
11843 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11844 (goto-char (point-min))
11845 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11850 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11851 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11852 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11856 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11860 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11861 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11862 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11863 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11864 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11866 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11867 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11868 are expanded as specified by the variable
11869 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11870 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11873 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11874 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11875 when all this splitting is performed.
11877 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11878 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11879 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11882 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11885 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11886 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11888 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11889 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11890 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11891 groupings 1 through 9.
11893 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11894 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11895 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11896 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11897 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11898 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11899 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11900 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11901 it once per thread.
11903 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11904 non-nil value. And then you can include
11905 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11907 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11908 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11909 ;; other splits go here
11913 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11914 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11915 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11916 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11917 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11918 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11919 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11920 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11921 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11922 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11923 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11924 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
11926 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11927 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
11928 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
11929 messages goes into the new group.
11932 @node Group Mail Splitting
11933 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11934 @cindex mail splitting
11935 @cindex group mail splitting
11937 @findex gnus-group-split
11938 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11939 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11940 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11941 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11942 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11943 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11944 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11945 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11947 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11948 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11949 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11950 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11952 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11953 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11954 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11955 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11956 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11957 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11958 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11960 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11961 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11962 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11963 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11964 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11965 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11966 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11968 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11969 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11970 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11971 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11972 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11973 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11974 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11975 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11976 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11977 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11978 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11979 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11980 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
11982 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11987 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11988 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11990 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11991 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11992 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11993 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11995 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11998 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11999 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12000 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12003 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12004 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12005 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12009 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12010 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12011 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12015 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12018 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12019 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12020 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12021 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12022 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12023 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12024 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12025 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12026 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12028 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12029 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12030 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12031 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12032 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12033 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12034 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12035 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12036 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12038 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12039 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12040 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12041 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12042 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12043 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12046 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12049 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12050 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12051 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12052 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12053 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12056 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12057 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12058 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12059 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12061 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12062 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12064 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12065 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12066 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12069 Doing so can be quite easy.
12071 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12072 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12073 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12074 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12075 your @code{nnml} groups.
12081 Go to the group buffer.
12084 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12085 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12088 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12091 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12092 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12095 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12096 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12099 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12100 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12101 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12102 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12103 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12105 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12106 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12107 using the new mail backend.
12110 @node Expiring Mail
12111 @subsection Expiring Mail
12112 @cindex article expiry
12114 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12115 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12116 different approach to mail reading.
12118 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12119 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12120 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12121 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12122 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12123 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12126 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12127 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12128 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12129 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12130 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12131 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12132 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12133 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12135 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12136 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12137 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12138 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12139 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12140 column in the summary buffer.
12142 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12143 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12144 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12145 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12148 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12150 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12151 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12152 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12155 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12156 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12157 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12158 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12159 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12161 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12162 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12165 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12166 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12169 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12170 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12172 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12173 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12174 don't really mix very well.
12176 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12177 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12178 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12179 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12182 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12183 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12184 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12185 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12188 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12190 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12192 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12194 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12196 ((string= group "important")
12202 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12203 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12205 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12206 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12207 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12210 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12211 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12213 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12214 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12215 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12216 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12217 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12218 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12219 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12220 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12221 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12222 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12223 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12224 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12227 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12229 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12233 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12234 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12235 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12236 easier for procmail users.
12238 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12239 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12240 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12241 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12242 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12243 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12244 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12245 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12246 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12247 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12248 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12249 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12250 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12253 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12255 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12256 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12257 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12258 auto-expire turned on.
12262 @subsection Washing Mail
12263 @cindex mail washing
12264 @cindex list server brain damage
12265 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12267 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12268 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12269 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12270 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12271 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12272 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12274 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12275 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12276 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12279 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12280 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12281 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12282 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12285 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12286 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12287 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12288 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12289 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12292 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12293 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12294 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12295 Emacs running on MS machines.
12299 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12300 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12301 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12302 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12305 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12306 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12307 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12308 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12310 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12311 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12312 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12313 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12314 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12315 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12316 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12319 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12320 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12323 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12324 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12327 This can also be done non-destructively with
12328 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12330 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12331 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12332 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12334 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12335 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12337 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12338 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12339 @code{References} headers.
12343 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12344 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12345 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12349 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12350 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12351 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12358 @subsection Duplicates
12360 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12361 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12362 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12363 @cindex duplicate mails
12364 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12365 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12366 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12367 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12368 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12369 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12370 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12371 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12372 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12373 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12374 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12375 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12376 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12378 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12379 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12380 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12381 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12383 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12386 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12387 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12391 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12392 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12393 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12394 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12395 (any mail "mail.misc")
12402 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12403 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12408 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12409 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12410 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12411 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12412 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12415 @node Not Reading Mail
12416 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12418 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12419 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12420 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12422 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12423 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12424 mail, which should help.
12426 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12427 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12428 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12429 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12430 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12431 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12432 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12433 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12434 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12435 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12436 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12438 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12439 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12443 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12444 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12446 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12447 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12448 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12450 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12451 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12452 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12453 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12456 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12457 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12458 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12459 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12460 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12461 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12465 @node Unix Mail Box
12466 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12468 @cindex unix mail box
12470 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12471 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12472 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12473 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12474 which group it belongs in.
12476 Virtual server settings:
12479 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12480 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12481 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12483 @item nnmbox-active-file
12484 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12485 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12487 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12488 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12489 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12495 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12499 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12500 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12501 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12502 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12503 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12505 Virtual server settings:
12508 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12509 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12510 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12512 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12513 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12514 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12516 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12517 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12518 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12523 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12525 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12527 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12528 format. It should be used with some caution.
12530 @vindex nnml-directory
12531 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12532 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12533 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12534 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12536 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12539 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12540 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12541 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12542 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12543 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12544 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12545 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12546 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12548 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12549 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12550 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12551 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12553 Virtual server settings:
12556 @item nnml-directory
12557 @vindex nnml-directory
12558 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12560 @item nnml-active-file
12561 @vindex nnml-active-file
12562 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12564 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12565 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12566 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12569 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12570 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12571 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12573 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12574 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12575 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12577 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12578 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12579 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12581 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12582 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12583 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12587 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12588 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12589 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12590 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12591 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12592 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12593 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12598 @subsubsection MH Spool
12600 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12602 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12603 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12604 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12605 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12607 Virtual server settings:
12610 @item nnmh-directory
12611 @vindex nnmh-directory
12612 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12614 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12615 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12616 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12619 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12620 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12621 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12622 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12623 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12624 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12625 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12630 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12632 @cindex mbox folders
12633 @cindex mail folders
12635 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12636 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12637 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12640 Virtual server settings:
12643 @item nnfolder-directory
12644 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12645 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12647 @item nnfolder-active-file
12648 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12649 The name of the active file.
12651 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12652 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12653 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12655 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12656 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12657 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12659 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12660 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12661 @cindex backup files
12662 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12663 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12664 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12665 your @file{.emacs} file:
12668 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12669 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12671 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12674 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12675 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12676 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12677 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12678 extract some information from it before removing it.
12680 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12681 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12682 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12687 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12688 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12689 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12690 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12691 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12692 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12695 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12696 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12698 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12699 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12700 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12701 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12702 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12704 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12705 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12706 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12707 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12708 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12709 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12710 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12711 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12714 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12715 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12716 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12717 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12722 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12723 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12724 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12725 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12726 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12727 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12728 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12729 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12730 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12731 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12732 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12733 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12734 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12739 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12740 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12741 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12742 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12743 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12744 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12745 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12746 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12747 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12748 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12749 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12750 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12751 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12752 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12754 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12755 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12760 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12761 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12762 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12763 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12764 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12765 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12766 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12767 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12768 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12769 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12770 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12771 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12772 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12773 provided by the active file and overviews.
12775 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12776 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12777 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12778 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12779 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12782 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12783 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12788 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12789 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12790 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12791 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12792 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12793 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12794 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12798 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12799 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12800 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12801 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12802 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12803 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12804 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12805 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12806 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12808 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12809 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12810 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12811 friendly mail backend all over.
12816 @node Browsing the Web
12817 @section Browsing the Web
12819 @cindex browsing the web
12823 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12824 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12825 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12826 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12827 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12828 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12829 even know what a news group is.
12831 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12832 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12833 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12834 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12835 you mad in the end.
12837 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12840 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12841 interfaces to these sources.
12844 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12845 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12846 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12847 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12848 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12851 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12853 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12854 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12855 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12856 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12857 though, you should be ok.
12859 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12860 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12861 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12862 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12863 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12867 @subsection Web Searches
12871 @cindex InReference
12872 @cindex Usenet searches
12873 @cindex searching the Usenet
12875 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12876 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12877 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12878 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12879 searches without having to use a browser.
12881 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12882 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12883 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12884 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12885 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12887 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12888 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12889 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12890 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12891 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12892 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12893 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12894 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12895 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12896 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12899 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12900 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12901 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12902 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12903 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12904 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12906 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12907 to use @code{nnweb}.
12909 Virtual server variables:
12914 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12915 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12919 @vindex nnweb-search
12920 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12922 @item nnweb-max-hits
12923 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12924 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12927 @item nnweb-type-definition
12928 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12929 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12930 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12935 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12939 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12942 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12945 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12949 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12956 @subsection Slashdot
12960 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12961 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12962 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12964 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12965 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12968 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12969 '((nnslashdot "")))
12972 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12973 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12974 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12975 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12976 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12979 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12980 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12982 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12983 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12984 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12985 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12986 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12987 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12990 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12993 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12994 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12995 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12996 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12997 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12998 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12999 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13001 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13002 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13003 The login name to use when posting.
13005 @item nnslashdot-password
13006 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13007 The password to use when posting.
13009 @item nnslashdot-directory
13010 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13011 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
13012 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13014 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13015 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13016 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13017 news articles and comments. The default is
13018 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13020 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13021 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13022 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13024 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13026 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13027 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13028 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13030 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13032 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13033 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13034 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13036 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13037 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13038 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13039 updated. The default is 0.
13046 @subsection Ultimate
13048 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13050 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13051 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13052 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13053 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13055 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13056 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13057 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13058 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13059 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13060 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13061 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13063 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13066 @item nnultimate-directory
13067 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13068 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13069 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13074 @subsection Web Archive
13076 @cindex Web Archive
13078 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13079 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13080 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13081 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13084 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13085 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13086 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13087 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13088 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13089 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13090 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13092 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13095 @item nnwarchive-directory
13096 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13097 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13098 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13100 @item nnwarchive-login
13101 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13102 The account name on the web server.
13104 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13105 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13106 The password for your account on the web server.
13110 @node Customizing w3
13111 @subsection Customizing w3
13117 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13118 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13119 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13121 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13122 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13123 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13126 (eval-after-load "w3"
13128 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13129 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13130 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13131 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13133 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13136 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13137 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13141 @node Other Sources
13142 @section Other Sources
13144 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13145 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13149 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13150 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13151 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13152 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13153 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13154 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13158 @node Directory Groups
13159 @subsection Directory Groups
13161 @cindex directory groups
13163 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13164 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13167 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13168 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13169 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13170 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13172 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13173 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13174 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13175 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13176 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13178 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13180 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13181 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13182 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13183 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13186 @node Anything Groups
13187 @subsection Anything Groups
13190 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13191 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13192 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13195 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13196 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13197 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13198 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13199 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13200 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13201 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13202 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13203 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13204 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13207 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13208 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13209 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13210 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13212 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13213 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13214 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13215 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13217 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13218 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13219 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13220 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13221 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13222 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13223 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13224 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13229 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13230 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13231 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13232 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13234 @item nneething-exclude-files
13235 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13236 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13237 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13239 @item nneething-include-files
13240 @vindex nneething-include-files
13241 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13242 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13244 @item nneething-map-file
13245 @vindex nneething-map-file
13246 Name of the map files.
13250 @node Document Groups
13251 @subsection Document Groups
13253 @cindex documentation group
13256 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13257 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13264 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13269 The standard Unix mbox file.
13271 @cindex MMDF mail box
13273 The MMDF mail box format.
13276 Several news articles appended into a file.
13279 @cindex rnews batch files
13280 The rnews batch transport format.
13281 @cindex forwarded messages
13284 Forwarded articles.
13287 Netscape mail boxes.
13290 MIME multipart messages.
13292 @item standard-digest
13293 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13296 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13299 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13300 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13301 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13304 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13305 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13306 group. And that's it.
13308 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13309 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13310 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13311 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13312 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13313 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13314 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13315 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13316 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13317 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13319 Virtual server variables:
13322 @item nndoc-article-type
13323 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13324 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13325 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13326 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13327 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13329 @item nndoc-post-type
13330 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13331 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13332 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13337 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13341 @node Document Server Internals
13342 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13344 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13345 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13346 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13347 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13349 First, here's an example document type definition:
13353 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13354 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13357 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13358 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13359 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13360 types can be defined with very few settings:
13363 @item first-article
13364 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13365 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13368 @item article-begin
13369 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13370 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13372 @item head-begin-function
13373 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13376 @item nndoc-head-begin
13377 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13380 @item nndoc-head-end
13381 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13382 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13384 @item body-begin-function
13385 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13389 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13392 @item body-end-function
13393 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13397 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13400 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13401 regexp will be totally ignored.
13405 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13406 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13407 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13408 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13409 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13412 @item prepare-body-function
13413 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13414 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13415 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13417 @item article-transform-function
13418 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13419 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13420 body of the article.
13422 @item generate-head-function
13423 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13424 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13425 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13426 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13430 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13435 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13436 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13437 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13438 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13439 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13440 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13441 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13442 (subtype digest guess))
13445 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13446 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13447 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13448 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13449 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13451 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13452 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13453 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13454 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13455 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
13456 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13457 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13458 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13459 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13460 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13468 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13469 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13470 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13472 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13473 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13474 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13477 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13478 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13479 that interested in doing things properly.
13481 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13482 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13485 First some terminology:
13490 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13491 get news and/or mail from.
13494 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13495 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13498 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13502 @item message packets
13503 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13504 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13505 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13507 @item response packets
13508 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13509 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13510 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13520 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13521 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13522 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13523 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13526 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13529 You put the packet in your home directory.
13532 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13533 the native or secondary server.
13536 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13537 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13540 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13544 You transfer this packet to the server.
13547 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13550 You then repeat until you die.
13554 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13555 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13558 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13559 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13560 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13564 @node SOUP Commands
13565 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13567 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13571 @kindex G s b (Group)
13572 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13573 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13574 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13575 process/prefix convention.
13578 @kindex G s w (Group)
13579 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13580 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13583 @kindex G s s (Group)
13584 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13585 Send all replies from the replies packet
13586 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13589 @kindex G s p (Group)
13590 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13591 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13594 @kindex G s r (Group)
13595 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13596 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13599 @kindex O s (Summary)
13600 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13601 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13602 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13603 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13608 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13613 @item gnus-soup-directory
13614 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13615 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13616 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13618 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13619 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13620 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13621 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13623 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13624 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13625 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13626 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13628 @item gnus-soup-packer
13629 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13630 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13631 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13633 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13634 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13635 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13636 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13638 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13639 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13640 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13642 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13643 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13644 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13645 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13651 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13654 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13655 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13656 you can read them at leisure.
13658 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13662 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13663 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13664 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13665 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13667 @item nnsoup-directory
13668 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13669 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13670 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13672 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13673 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13674 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13675 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13677 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13678 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13679 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13680 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13681 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13683 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13684 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13685 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13686 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13688 @item nnsoup-active-file
13689 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13690 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13691 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13692 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13693 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13695 @item nnsoup-packer
13696 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13697 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13698 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13700 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13701 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13702 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13703 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13705 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13706 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13707 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13710 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13711 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13712 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13715 @item nnsoup-always-save
13716 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13717 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13723 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13725 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13726 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13727 more for that to happen.
13729 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13730 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13731 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13734 In specific, this is what it does:
13737 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13738 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13741 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13742 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13743 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13746 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13747 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13748 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13751 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13752 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13753 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13755 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13761 @item nngateway-address
13762 @vindex nngateway-address
13763 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13765 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13766 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13767 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13768 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13769 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13770 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13771 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13774 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13775 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13776 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13779 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13782 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13785 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13788 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13790 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13793 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13794 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13795 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13797 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13799 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13800 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13801 @code{nngateway-address}.
13806 (setq gnus-post-method
13807 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13808 (nngateway-header-transformation
13809 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13817 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13820 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13826 @subsection @sc{imap}
13830 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13831 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
13832 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
13833 specify the network address of the server.
13835 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
13836 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
13837 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
13838 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
13839 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
13841 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
13842 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
13843 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
13844 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13846 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
13847 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
13848 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
13849 usage explained in this section.
13851 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13852 might look something like this:
13855 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13856 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13857 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13859 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13860 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13861 ; a UW server running on localhost
13863 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13864 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13865 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13866 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13867 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13868 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13869 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13870 (nnimap-stream network))
13871 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13873 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13874 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13875 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13878 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13883 @item nnimap-address
13884 @vindex nnimap-address
13886 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13887 server name if not specified.
13889 @item nnimap-server-port
13890 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13891 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13893 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13896 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13897 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13900 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13901 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13902 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13903 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13904 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13905 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13906 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13908 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13909 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13910 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13913 Example server specification:
13916 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13917 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13918 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13921 @item nnimap-stream
13922 @vindex nnimap-stream
13923 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13924 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13925 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13926 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13928 Example server specification:
13931 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13932 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13935 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13939 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13940 @samp{imtest} program.
13942 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13944 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13945 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13948 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13949 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13951 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
13953 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13956 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13957 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13958 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13959 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13962 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13963 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13964 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13965 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
13966 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13967 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13968 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13971 @vindex imap-shell-program
13972 @vindex imap-shell-host
13973 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13974 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13976 @item nnimap-authenticator
13977 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13979 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13980 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13982 Example server specification:
13985 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13986 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
13989 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
13993 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13994 external program @code{imtest}.
13996 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13999 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14000 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14002 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14004 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14006 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14009 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14011 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14012 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14013 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14014 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14015 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14016 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14019 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14020 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14021 running in circles yet?
14023 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14024 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14027 The possible options are:
14032 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14035 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14036 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14037 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14038 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14040 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14045 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14046 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14048 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
14049 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
14050 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
14052 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14053 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14054 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14060 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14061 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14062 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14067 @node Splitting in IMAP
14068 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14069 @cindex splitting imap mail
14071 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14072 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14073 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14074 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14075 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14079 Here are the variables of interest:
14083 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14084 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14086 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14088 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14089 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14091 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14093 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14094 @cindex splitting, inbox
14096 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14098 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14099 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14103 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14104 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14107 No nnmail equivalent.
14109 @item nnimap-split-rule
14110 @cindex Splitting, rules
14111 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14113 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14116 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14117 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14118 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14119 Neither did I, we need examples.
14122 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14123 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14124 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14125 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14128 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14129 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14130 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14132 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14133 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14137 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14140 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14141 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14142 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14143 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14145 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14146 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14147 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14148 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14149 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14150 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14152 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14153 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14154 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14156 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14157 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14158 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14160 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14162 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14163 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14164 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14167 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14168 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14169 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14170 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14171 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14172 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14175 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14176 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14177 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14178 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14179 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14180 group/function elements.
14182 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14184 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14186 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14188 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14189 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14191 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14192 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14193 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14196 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14197 @cindex splitting, fancy
14198 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14199 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14201 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14202 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14203 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14205 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14206 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14207 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14208 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14213 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14214 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14217 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14221 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14222 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14223 @cindex editing imap acls
14224 @cindex Access Control Lists
14225 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14227 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14229 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14230 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14231 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14234 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14235 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14236 editing window with detailed instructions.
14238 Some possible uses:
14242 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14243 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14244 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14246 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14247 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14248 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14252 @node Expunging mailboxes
14253 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14257 @cindex Manual expunging
14259 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14261 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14262 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14263 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14265 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14270 @node Combined Groups
14271 @section Combined Groups
14273 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14277 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14278 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14282 @node Virtual Groups
14283 @subsection Virtual Groups
14285 @cindex virtual groups
14286 @cindex merging groups
14288 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14291 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14292 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14293 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14295 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14296 regexp to match component groups.
14298 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14299 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14300 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14301 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14302 the virtual group.)
14304 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14305 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14308 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14311 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14312 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14314 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14315 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14316 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14317 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14320 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14323 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14324 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14325 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14327 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14328 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14329 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14330 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14331 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14333 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14334 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14335 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14337 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14338 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14339 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14340 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14341 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14342 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14343 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14344 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14345 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14346 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14347 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14349 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14350 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14351 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14352 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14353 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14354 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14355 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14357 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14358 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14362 @node Kibozed Groups
14363 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14367 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14368 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14369 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14370 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14372 @kindex G k (Group)
14373 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14376 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14377 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14378 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14379 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14381 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14382 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14383 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14385 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14386 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14387 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14388 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14389 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14390 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14391 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14392 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14394 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14395 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14396 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14397 Stranger things have happened.
14399 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14400 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14402 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14403 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14404 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14405 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14406 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14407 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14409 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14410 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14413 @node Gnus Unplugged
14414 @section Gnus Unplugged
14419 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14421 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14422 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14423 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14424 read news. Believe it or not.
14426 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14427 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14428 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14429 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14430 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14432 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14433 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14434 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14435 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14436 reading news on a machine.
14438 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14442 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14443 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14447 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14448 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14455 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14457 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14460 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14461 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14462 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14463 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14464 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14465 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14466 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14467 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14468 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14469 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14474 @subsection Agent Basics
14476 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14478 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14479 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14480 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14481 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14483 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14484 connected to the net continuously.
14486 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14487 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14489 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14494 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14495 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14496 already fetched while in this mode.
14499 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14500 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14501 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14502 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14503 Source Specifiers}).
14506 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14507 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14508 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14509 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14510 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14513 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14514 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14515 then you read the news offline.
14518 And then you go to step 2.
14521 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14527 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14528 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14529 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14530 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14531 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14532 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14535 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14542 @node Agent Categories
14543 @subsection Agent Categories
14545 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14546 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14547 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14548 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14549 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14550 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14551 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14553 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14554 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14555 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14556 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14557 managing categories.
14560 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14561 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14562 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14566 @node Category Syntax
14567 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14569 A category consists of two things.
14573 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14574 are eligible for downloading; and
14577 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14578 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14579 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14582 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14583 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14584 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14585 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14587 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14588 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14589 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14591 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14592 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14593 operators sprinkled in between.
14595 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14597 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14598 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14604 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14605 short (for some value of ``short'').
14607 Here's a more complex predicate:
14616 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14617 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14620 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14621 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14622 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14624 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14625 you want to do, you can write your own.
14629 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14630 lines; default 100.
14633 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14634 lines; default 200.
14637 True iff the article has a download score less than
14638 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14641 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14642 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14645 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14646 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14647 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14656 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14657 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14658 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14661 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14662 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14663 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14664 something along the lines of the following:
14667 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14668 "Say whether an article is old."
14669 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14670 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14673 with the predicate then defined as:
14676 (not my-article-old-p)
14679 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14680 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14681 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14682 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14685 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14686 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14687 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14690 and simply specify your predicate as:
14696 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14697 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14698 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14699 just don't give a damn.
14701 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14702 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14703 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14704 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14705 parameters like so:
14708 (agent-predicate . short)
14711 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14712 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14713 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14715 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14718 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14721 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14722 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14723 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14726 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14727 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14728 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14729 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14730 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14731 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14733 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14734 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14735 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14736 if it's to be specific to that group.
14738 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14745 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14746 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14752 Category specification
14756 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14762 Group Parameter specification
14765 (agent-score ("from"
14766 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14771 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14777 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14784 Category specification
14787 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14793 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14797 Group Parameter specification
14800 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14803 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14808 Use @code{normal} score files
14810 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14811 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14812 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14813 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14815 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14816 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14817 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14818 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14822 Category Specification
14829 Group Parameter specification
14832 (agent-score . file)
14837 @node The Category Buffer
14838 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14840 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14841 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14842 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14844 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14848 @kindex q (Category)
14849 @findex gnus-category-exit
14850 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14853 @kindex k (Category)
14854 @findex gnus-category-kill
14855 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14858 @kindex c (Category)
14859 @findex gnus-category-copy
14860 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14863 @kindex a (Category)
14864 @findex gnus-category-add
14865 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14868 @kindex p (Category)
14869 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14870 Edit the predicate of the current category
14871 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14874 @kindex g (Category)
14875 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14876 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14877 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14880 @kindex s (Category)
14881 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14882 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14883 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14886 @kindex l (Category)
14887 @findex gnus-category-list
14888 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14892 @node Category Variables
14893 @subsubsection Category Variables
14896 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14897 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14898 Hook run in category buffers.
14900 @item gnus-category-line-format
14901 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14902 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14903 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14907 The name of the category.
14910 The number of groups in the category.
14913 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14914 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14915 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14917 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14918 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14919 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14921 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14922 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14923 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14925 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14926 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14927 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14930 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14931 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14932 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14938 @node Agent Commands
14939 @subsection Agent Commands
14941 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14942 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14943 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14947 * Group Agent Commands::
14948 * Summary Agent Commands::
14949 * Server Agent Commands::
14952 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14953 following incantation:
14955 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14957 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14962 @node Group Agent Commands
14963 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14967 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14968 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14969 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14970 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14973 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14974 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14975 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14978 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14979 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14980 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14981 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14984 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14985 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14986 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14987 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14990 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14991 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14992 Add the current group to an Agent category
14993 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14994 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14997 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14998 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14999 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15000 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15001 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15004 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15005 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15006 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15012 @node Summary Agent Commands
15013 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15017 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15018 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15019 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15022 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15023 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15024 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15025 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15028 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15029 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15030 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15033 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15034 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15035 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15040 @node Server Agent Commands
15041 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15045 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15046 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15047 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15048 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15051 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15052 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15053 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15054 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15060 @subsection Agent Expiry
15062 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15063 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15064 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15065 @cindex Agent expiry
15066 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15069 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15070 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15071 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15072 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15073 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15074 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15076 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15077 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15078 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15079 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15080 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15083 @node Agent and IMAP
15084 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15086 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15087 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15088 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15089 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15091 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15092 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15093 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15094 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15096 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15097 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15098 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15099 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15100 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15102 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15103 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15104 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15105 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15106 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15107 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15109 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15110 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15111 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15112 in the group buffer by default.
15114 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15115 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15120 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15123 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15127 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15128 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15129 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15130 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15131 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15132 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15133 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15134 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15137 @node Outgoing Messages
15138 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15140 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15141 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15142 after posting, and edit them at will.
15144 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15145 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15146 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15147 messages in the draft group.
15151 @node Agent Variables
15152 @subsection Agent Variables
15155 @item gnus-agent-directory
15156 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15157 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15158 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15160 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15161 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15162 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15163 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15164 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15167 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15168 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15169 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15171 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15172 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15173 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15178 @node Example Setup
15179 @subsection Example Setup
15181 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15182 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15183 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15186 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15187 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15188 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15190 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15191 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15192 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15194 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15195 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15197 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15201 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15202 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15205 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15206 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15207 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15208 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15209 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15212 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15213 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15214 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15215 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15216 back all the killed groups.)
15218 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15219 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15220 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15223 @node Batching Agents
15224 @subsection Batching Agents
15226 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15227 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15228 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15232 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15236 @node Agent Caveats
15237 @subsection Agent Caveats
15239 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15240 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15244 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15249 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15250 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15256 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15257 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15264 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15265 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15266 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15269 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15270 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15271 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15272 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15273 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15275 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15276 before generating the summary buffer.
15278 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15279 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15280 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15282 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15283 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15284 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15285 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15288 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15289 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15290 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15291 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15292 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15293 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15294 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15295 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15296 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15297 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15298 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15299 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15300 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15301 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15302 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15303 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15307 @node Summary Score Commands
15308 @section Summary Score Commands
15309 @cindex score commands
15311 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15312 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15313 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15314 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15315 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15317 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15318 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15319 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15320 score file the current one.
15322 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15327 @kindex V s (Summary)
15328 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15329 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15332 @kindex V S (Summary)
15333 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15334 Display the score of the current article
15335 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15338 @kindex V t (Summary)
15339 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15340 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15341 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15344 @kindex V R (Summary)
15345 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15346 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15347 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15348 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15349 effect you're having.
15352 @kindex V c (Summary)
15353 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15354 Make a different score file the current
15355 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15358 @kindex V e (Summary)
15359 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15360 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15361 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15365 @kindex V f (Summary)
15366 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15367 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15368 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15371 @kindex V F (Summary)
15372 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15373 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15374 after editing score files.
15377 @kindex V C (Summary)
15378 @findex gnus-score-customize
15379 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15380 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15384 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15389 @kindex V m (Summary)
15390 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15391 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15392 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15395 @kindex V x (Summary)
15396 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15397 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15398 expunge all articles below this score
15399 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15402 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15403 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15406 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15407 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15411 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15412 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15414 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15415 keys are available:
15419 Score on the author name.
15422 Score on the subject line.
15425 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15428 Score on the @code{References} line.
15434 Score on the number of lines.
15437 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15440 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15441 the followups to this author.
15455 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15456 what headers you are scoring on.
15468 Substring matching.
15471 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15500 Greater than number.
15505 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15506 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15507 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15511 Temporary score entry.
15514 Permanent score entry.
15517 Immediately scoring.
15522 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15523 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15524 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15525 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15527 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15528 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15529 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15530 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15531 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15533 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15534 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15535 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15536 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15537 current score file.
15539 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15540 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15541 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15544 @node Group Score Commands
15545 @section Group Score Commands
15546 @cindex group score commands
15548 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15553 @kindex W f (Group)
15554 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15555 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15556 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15557 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15561 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15563 @findex gnus-batch-score
15564 @cindex batch scoring
15566 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15570 @node Score Variables
15571 @section Score Variables
15572 @cindex score variables
15576 @item gnus-use-scoring
15577 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15578 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15579 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15581 @item gnus-kill-killed
15582 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15583 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15584 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15585 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15586 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15587 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15588 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15590 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15591 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15592 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15593 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15594 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15596 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15597 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15598 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15599 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15601 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15602 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15603 @cindex score cache
15604 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15605 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15606 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
15607 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15608 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15609 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15612 @item gnus-save-score
15613 @vindex gnus-save-score
15614 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15615 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15616 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15618 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15619 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15620 across group visits.
15622 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15623 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15624 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15625 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15626 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15627 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15628 manually entered data.
15630 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15631 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15632 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15634 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15635 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15636 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15637 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15638 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15639 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15641 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15642 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15643 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15644 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15646 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15647 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15648 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15649 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15651 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15652 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15653 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15654 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15656 Predefined functions available are:
15659 @item gnus-score-find-single
15660 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15661 Only apply the group's own score file.
15663 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15664 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15665 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15666 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15667 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15668 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15669 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15670 then a regexp match is done.
15672 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15673 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15675 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15676 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15677 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15678 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15680 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15681 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15682 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15683 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15684 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15688 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15689 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15690 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15691 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15692 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15693 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15694 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15696 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15697 overall score file, you could use the value
15699 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15702 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15703 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15704 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15705 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15706 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15708 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15709 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15710 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15711 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15712 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15713 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15714 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15717 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15718 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15719 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15721 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15722 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15723 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15724 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15725 threading---according to the current value of
15726 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15727 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15728 simplified in this manner.
15733 @node Score File Format
15734 @section Score File Format
15735 @cindex score file format
15737 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15738 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15739 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15741 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15745 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15747 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15749 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15751 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15756 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15760 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15761 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15762 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15763 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15767 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15768 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15770 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15771 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15772 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15774 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15779 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15780 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15781 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15782 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15783 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15784 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15785 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15786 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15787 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15788 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15789 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15790 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15791 to articles that matches these score entries.
15793 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15794 score entry has one to four elements.
15798 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15799 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15803 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15804 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15805 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15806 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15807 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15808 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15811 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15812 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15813 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15814 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15815 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15818 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15819 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15820 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15821 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15824 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15825 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15826 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15827 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15828 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15829 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15830 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15831 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15832 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15833 instead, if you feel like.
15836 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15837 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15839 These predicates are true if
15842 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15845 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15846 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15853 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15854 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15855 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15856 it's not. I think.)
15858 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15859 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15860 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15861 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15864 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15865 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15866 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15867 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15868 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15869 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15870 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15874 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15875 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15876 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15877 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15878 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15879 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15880 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15881 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15884 @item Head, Body, All
15885 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15889 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15890 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15891 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15892 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15893 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15894 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15895 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15899 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15900 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15901 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15902 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15903 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15904 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15905 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15906 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15907 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15908 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15909 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15913 @cindex Score File Atoms
15915 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15916 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15919 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15920 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15922 @item mark-and-expunge
15923 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15924 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15927 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15928 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15929 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15930 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15931 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15934 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15935 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15938 @item exclude-files
15939 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15940 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15944 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15945 ignored when handling global score files.
15948 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15949 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15950 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15951 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15954 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15955 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15956 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15957 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15959 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15963 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15966 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15967 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15968 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15969 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15970 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15972 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15973 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15974 ordinary scoring rules.
15977 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15978 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15979 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15980 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15981 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15982 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15983 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15984 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15985 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15986 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15987 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15991 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15992 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15993 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15994 file for a number of groups.
15997 @cindex local variables
15998 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15999 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16000 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16001 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16002 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16006 @node Score File Editing
16007 @section Score File Editing
16009 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16010 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16011 with a mode for that.
16013 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16014 additional commands:
16019 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16020 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16021 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16022 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16025 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16026 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16027 Insert the current date in numerical format
16028 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16029 you were wondering.
16032 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16033 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16034 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16035 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16036 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16041 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16043 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16044 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16046 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16047 e} to begin editing score files.
16050 @node Adaptive Scoring
16051 @section Adaptive Scoring
16052 @cindex adaptive scoring
16054 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16055 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16056 stupidity, to be precise.
16058 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16059 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16060 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16061 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16062 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16063 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16064 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16065 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16066 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16068 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16069 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16070 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16071 might look something like this:
16074 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16075 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16076 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16077 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16078 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16079 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16080 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16081 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16082 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16083 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16084 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16085 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16088 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16089 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16090 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16091 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16092 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16093 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16096 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16097 will be applied to each article.
16099 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16100 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16101 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16102 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16104 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16105 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16106 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16107 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16109 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16110 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16111 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16112 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16114 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16115 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16116 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16117 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16118 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16119 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16121 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16122 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16123 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16124 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16125 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16126 aspirins afterwards.)
16128 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16129 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16130 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16132 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16133 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16134 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16136 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16137 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16138 let you use different rules in different groups.
16140 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16141 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16142 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16145 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16146 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16147 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16148 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16149 the length of the match is less than
16150 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16151 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16154 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16155 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16156 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16157 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16158 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16161 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16162 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16163 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16164 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16165 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16168 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16169 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16170 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16171 score with 30 points.
16173 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16174 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16175 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16176 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16177 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16179 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16180 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16181 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16182 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16184 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16185 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16186 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16187 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16189 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16190 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16191 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16192 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16193 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16195 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16196 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16197 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16199 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16200 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16201 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16202 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16205 @node Home Score File
16206 @section Home Score File
16208 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16209 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16210 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16211 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16213 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16214 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16215 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16217 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16218 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16223 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16227 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16228 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16232 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16236 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16237 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
16240 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16241 the home score file.
16244 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16247 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16252 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16255 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16256 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16259 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16260 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16262 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16264 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16265 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16268 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16269 Other functions include
16272 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16273 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16274 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16275 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16279 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16280 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16281 their own home score files:
16284 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16285 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16286 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16287 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16288 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16291 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16292 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16293 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16294 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16295 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16297 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16298 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16299 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16300 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16301 precedence over this variable.
16304 @node Followups To Yourself
16305 @section Followups To Yourself
16307 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16308 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16309 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16310 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16311 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16312 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16316 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16317 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16318 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16321 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16322 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16323 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16327 @vindex message-sent-hook
16328 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16329 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16331 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16335 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16336 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16340 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16341 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16344 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16345 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16350 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16354 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16355 is system-dependent.
16359 @section Scoring Tips
16360 @cindex scoring tips
16366 @cindex scoring crossposts
16367 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16368 the @code{Xref} header.
16370 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16373 @item Multiple crossposts
16374 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16375 more than, say, 3 groups:
16377 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16380 @item Matching on the body
16381 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16382 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16383 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16384 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16385 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16386 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16387 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16390 @item Marking as read
16391 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16392 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16393 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16397 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16399 @item Negated character classes
16400 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16401 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16402 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16406 @node Reverse Scoring
16407 @section Reverse Scoring
16408 @cindex reverse scoring
16410 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16411 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16412 like this in your score file:
16416 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16421 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16422 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16425 @node Global Score Files
16426 @section Global Score Files
16427 @cindex global score files
16429 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16430 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16431 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16433 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16434 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16435 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16437 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16438 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16439 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16440 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16441 files are applicable to which group.
16443 Say you want to use the score file
16444 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16445 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16448 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16449 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16450 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16453 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16454 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16455 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16456 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16457 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16459 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16460 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16462 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16463 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16464 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16465 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16466 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16467 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16469 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16475 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16477 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16479 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16481 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16482 lowered out of existence.
16484 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16485 articles completely.
16488 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16489 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16490 old articles for a long time.
16493 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16494 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16495 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16496 holding our breath yet?
16500 @section Kill Files
16503 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16504 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16505 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16507 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16508 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16509 files into score files.
16511 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16512 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16513 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16514 that isn't a very good idea.
16516 Normal kill files look like this:
16519 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16520 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16524 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16525 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16527 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16528 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16531 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16536 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16537 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16538 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16541 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16542 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16543 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16546 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16551 @kindex M-k (Group)
16552 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16553 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16556 @kindex M-K (Group)
16557 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16558 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16561 Kill file variables:
16564 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16565 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16566 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16567 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16568 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16569 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16570 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16572 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16573 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16574 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16575 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16578 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16579 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16580 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16581 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16582 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16583 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16584 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16585 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16586 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16588 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16589 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16590 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16595 @node Converting Kill Files
16596 @section Converting Kill Files
16598 @cindex converting kill files
16600 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16601 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16602 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16605 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16606 You can fetch it from
16607 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16609 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16610 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16611 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16619 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16620 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16621 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16623 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16624 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16625 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16626 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16627 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16628 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16629 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16630 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16634 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16635 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16636 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16637 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16641 @node Using GroupLens
16642 @subsection Using GroupLens
16644 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16646 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16647 better bit in town at the moment.
16649 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16653 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16654 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16655 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16656 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16658 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16659 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16660 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16661 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16663 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16664 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16665 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16669 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16670 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16671 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16672 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16673 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16674 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16677 @node Rating Articles
16678 @subsection Rating Articles
16680 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16681 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16682 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16683 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16686 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16691 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16692 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16693 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16696 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16697 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16698 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16699 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16700 threads in rec.humor.
16704 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16705 the score of the article you're reading.
16710 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16711 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16712 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16715 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16716 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16717 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16721 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16722 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16725 @node Displaying Predictions
16726 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16728 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16729 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16730 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16731 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16732 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16734 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16735 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16736 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16737 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16738 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16739 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16740 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16741 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16742 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16743 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16744 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16745 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16746 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16748 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16749 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16750 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16751 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16753 The following are valid values for that variable.
16756 @item prediction-spot
16757 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16760 @item confidence-interval
16761 A numeric confidence interval.
16763 @item prediction-bar
16764 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16766 @item confidence-bar
16767 Numerical confidence.
16769 @item confidence-spot
16770 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16772 @item prediction-num
16773 Plain-old numeric value.
16775 @item confidence-plus-minus
16776 Prediction +/- confidence.
16781 @node GroupLens Variables
16782 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16786 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16787 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16788 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16789 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16792 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16793 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16796 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16797 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16799 @item grouplens-score-offset
16800 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16801 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16804 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16805 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16806 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16811 @node Advanced Scoring
16812 @section Advanced Scoring
16814 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16815 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16816 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16817 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16818 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16820 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16824 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16825 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16826 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16830 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16831 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16833 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16834 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16835 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16836 non-@code{nil} value.
16838 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16839 operator, and various match operators.
16846 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16847 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16848 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16853 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16854 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16855 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16860 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16861 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16865 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16866 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16867 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16868 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16869 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16870 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16871 the ancestry you want to go.
16873 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16874 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16875 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16876 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16877 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16880 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16881 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16883 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16884 when he's talking about Gnus:
16888 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16889 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16895 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16899 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16906 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16907 really don't want to read what he's written:
16911 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16912 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16916 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16917 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16918 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16925 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16926 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16927 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16928 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16932 The possibilities are endless.
16935 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16936 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16938 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16939 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16940 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16941 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16942 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16943 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16944 @samp{subject}) first.
16946 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16947 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16958 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16959 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16965 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16972 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16973 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16978 @section Score Decays
16979 @cindex score decays
16982 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16983 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16984 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16985 use them in any sensible way.
16987 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16988 @findex gnus-decay-score
16989 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16990 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16991 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16992 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16993 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16994 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16995 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16996 definition of that function:
16999 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17001 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17002 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17005 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17007 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17009 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17012 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17013 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17014 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17015 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17019 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17022 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17025 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17029 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17030 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17031 the new score, which should be an integer.
17033 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17034 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17041 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17042 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17043 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17044 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17045 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17046 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17047 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17048 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17049 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17050 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17051 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17052 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17053 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17054 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17055 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17056 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17057 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17058 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17062 @node Process/Prefix
17063 @section Process/Prefix
17064 @cindex process/prefix convention
17066 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17067 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17069 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17070 command to be performed on.
17074 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17075 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17076 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17077 with the current one.
17079 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17080 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17081 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17083 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17084 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17087 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17088 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17090 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17093 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17094 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17095 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17096 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17098 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17099 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17100 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17101 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17102 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17103 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17104 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17105 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17107 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17108 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17109 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17110 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17111 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17115 @section Interactive
17116 @cindex interaction
17120 @item gnus-novice-user
17121 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17122 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17123 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17124 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17125 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17128 @item gnus-expert-user
17129 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17130 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17131 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17132 matter how strange.
17134 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17135 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17136 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17137 is @code{t} by default.
17139 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17140 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17141 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17146 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17147 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17148 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17150 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17151 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17152 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17153 rule of 900 to the current article.
17155 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17156 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17157 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17158 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17159 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17160 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17161 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17163 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17164 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17165 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17166 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17167 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17168 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17169 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17170 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17171 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17173 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17174 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17175 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17177 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17181 @node Formatting Variables
17182 @section Formatting Variables
17183 @cindex formatting variables
17185 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17186 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17187 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17188 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17189 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17192 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17193 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17194 lots of percentages everywhere.
17197 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17198 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17199 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17200 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17201 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17204 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17205 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17206 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17207 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17208 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17209 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17210 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17211 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17213 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17214 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17216 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17217 @findex gnus-update-format
17218 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17219 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17220 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17221 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17225 @node Formatting Basics
17226 @subsection Formatting Basics
17228 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17229 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17230 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17232 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17233 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17234 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17235 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17236 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17239 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17240 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17241 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17242 less than 4 characters wide.
17245 @node Mode Line Formatting
17246 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17248 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17249 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17250 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17251 with the following two differences:
17256 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17259 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17260 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17261 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17262 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17263 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17264 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17265 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17270 @node Advanced Formatting
17271 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17273 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17274 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17275 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17276 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17278 These are the valid modifiers:
17283 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17287 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17292 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17295 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17300 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17303 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17306 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17309 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17313 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17314 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17315 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17316 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17317 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17318 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17319 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17321 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17322 last operation, padding.
17324 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17325 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
17326 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
17327 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
17328 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
17329 the look of your lines.
17330 @xref{Compilation}.
17333 @node User-Defined Specs
17334 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17336 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17337 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17338 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17339 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17340 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17341 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17342 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17343 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17344 should protect against that.
17346 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17347 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17348 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17349 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17353 @node Formatting Fonts
17354 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17356 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17357 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17358 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17359 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17362 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17363 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17364 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17365 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17366 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17367 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17369 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17370 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17371 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17372 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17373 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17374 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17375 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17376 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17378 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17381 ;; Create three face types.
17382 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17383 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17385 ;; We want the article count to be in
17386 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17387 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17388 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17390 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17391 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17393 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17394 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17395 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17398 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17399 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17401 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17402 mode-line variables.
17405 @node Windows Configuration
17406 @section Windows Configuration
17407 @cindex windows configuration
17409 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17411 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17412 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17413 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17414 @code{t} by default.
17416 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17417 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17419 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17420 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17421 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17424 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17425 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17426 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17430 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17431 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17432 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17433 possible names is listed below.
17435 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17436 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17439 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17443 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17444 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17445 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17446 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17447 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17448 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17449 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17450 size spec per split.
17452 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17453 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17454 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17455 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17456 present) gets focus.
17458 Here's a more complicated example:
17461 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17462 (summary 0.25 point)
17463 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17467 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17468 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17469 occupy, not a percentage.
17471 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17472 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17473 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17474 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17475 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17478 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17481 (article (horizontal 1.0
17486 (summary 0.25 point)
17491 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17492 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17494 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17495 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17496 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17497 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17498 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17500 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17501 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17502 lines from the splits.
17504 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17508 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17509 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17510 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17511 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17512 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17513 size = number | frame-params
17514 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17517 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17518 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17519 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17520 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17522 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17523 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17524 @cindex window height
17525 @cindex window width
17526 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17527 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17528 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17529 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17530 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17531 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17533 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17534 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17535 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17536 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17538 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17539 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17540 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17541 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17542 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17543 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17544 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17545 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17546 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17547 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17548 configuration list.
17551 (gnus-configure-frame
17555 (article 0.3 point))
17563 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17564 @code{frame} split:
17567 (gnus-configure-frame
17570 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17572 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17573 (user-position . t)
17574 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17579 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17580 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17581 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17582 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17583 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17584 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17585 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17586 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17588 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17589 be found in its default value.
17591 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17592 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17593 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17597 (message (horizontal 1.0
17598 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17600 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17605 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17606 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17607 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17610 (message (frame 1.0
17611 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17612 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17613 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17614 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17615 (name . "Message"))
17616 (message 1.0 point))))
17619 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17620 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17621 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17622 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17623 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17626 (gnus-add-configuration
17627 '(article (vertical 1.0
17629 (summary .25 point)
17633 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17634 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17635 Gnus has been loaded.
17637 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17638 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17639 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17640 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17641 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17643 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17644 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17645 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17648 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17652 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17653 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17668 (gnus-add-configuration
17671 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17673 (summary 0.16 point)
17676 (gnus-add-configuration
17679 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17680 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17686 @node Faces and Fonts
17687 @section Faces and Fonts
17692 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17693 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17694 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17699 @section Compilation
17700 @cindex compilation
17701 @cindex byte-compilation
17703 @findex gnus-compile
17705 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17706 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17707 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
17708 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
17709 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
17710 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17711 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17712 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17715 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17716 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17717 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17718 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
17719 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17722 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
17723 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17724 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
17725 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
17726 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
17731 @section Mode Lines
17734 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17735 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17736 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17737 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17738 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17739 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17740 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17743 @cindex display-time
17745 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17746 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17747 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17748 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17749 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17750 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17751 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17752 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17755 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17757 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17758 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17760 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17761 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17762 (length display-time-string)))))
17765 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17766 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17767 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17768 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17769 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17772 @node Highlighting and Menus
17773 @section Highlighting and Menus
17775 @cindex highlighting
17778 @vindex gnus-visual
17779 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17780 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17781 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17784 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17785 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17788 @item group-highlight
17789 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17790 @item summary-highlight
17791 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17792 @item article-highlight
17793 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17795 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17797 Create menus in the group buffer.
17799 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17801 Create menus in the article buffer.
17803 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17805 Create menus in the server buffer.
17807 Create menus in the score buffers.
17809 Create menus in all buffers.
17812 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17813 buffers, you could say something like:
17816 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17819 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17822 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17825 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17826 in all Gnus buffers.
17828 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17831 @item gnus-mouse-face
17832 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17833 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17834 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17838 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17842 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17843 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17844 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17846 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17847 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17848 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17850 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17851 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17852 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17854 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17855 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17856 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17858 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17859 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17860 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17862 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17863 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17864 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17875 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17876 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17877 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17878 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17879 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17883 @vindex gnus-carpal
17884 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17885 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17886 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17891 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17892 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17893 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17895 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17896 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17897 Face used on buttons.
17899 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17900 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17901 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17903 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17904 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17905 Buttons in the group buffer.
17907 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17908 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17909 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17911 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17912 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17913 Buttons in the server buffer.
17915 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17916 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17917 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17920 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17921 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17922 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17930 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17931 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17932 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17933 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17934 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17936 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17937 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17938 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17940 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17941 been idle for thirty minutes:
17944 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17947 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17951 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17954 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17955 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17956 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17958 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17959 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17960 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17961 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17963 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17964 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17965 @var{idle} minutes.
17967 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17968 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17971 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17972 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17973 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17975 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17976 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17977 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17978 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17980 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17981 your @file{.gnus} file:
17983 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17985 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17988 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17989 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17990 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17991 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17992 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17993 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17994 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17995 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17996 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17997 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17998 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18000 @findex gnus-demon-init
18001 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18002 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18003 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18004 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18005 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18007 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18008 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18009 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18018 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18019 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18021 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18022 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18023 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18024 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18027 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18028 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18029 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18030 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18032 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18033 this will make spam disappear.
18035 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18038 @item gnus-use-nocem
18039 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18040 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18043 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18044 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18045 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18046 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18047 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18049 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18050 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18051 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18052 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18053 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18054 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18056 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18057 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18059 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18060 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18061 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18062 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18063 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18064 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18065 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18066 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18067 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18068 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18070 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18071 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18074 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18077 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18078 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18081 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18084 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18087 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18088 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18090 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18091 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18092 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18093 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18095 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18096 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18099 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18101 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18109 This might be dangerous, though.
18111 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18112 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18113 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18114 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18116 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18117 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18118 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18119 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18120 might then see old spam.
18122 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18123 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18124 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18125 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18126 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18129 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18130 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18131 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18132 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18136 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18137 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18138 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18139 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18146 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18147 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18148 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18150 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18151 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18152 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18153 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18154 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18155 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18156 @code{undo} function.
18158 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18159 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18160 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18161 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18162 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18163 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18164 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18165 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18166 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18167 never be totally undoable.
18169 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18170 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18172 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18173 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18174 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
18175 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18180 @section Moderation
18183 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18184 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18185 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18188 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18192 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18195 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18197 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18202 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18203 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18204 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18207 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18208 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18211 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18212 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18216 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18219 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18220 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18224 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18225 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18228 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18232 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18233 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18234 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18235 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18248 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18249 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18250 over your shoulder as you read news.
18253 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18254 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18255 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18256 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18257 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18262 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18264 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18273 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18274 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18275 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18276 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18277 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18278 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18279 @code{GIF} formats.
18282 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18283 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18284 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18285 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18286 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18288 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18289 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18290 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18291 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18292 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18293 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18296 @node Picon Requirements
18297 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18299 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18300 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18303 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18304 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18305 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18307 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18308 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18309 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18310 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18311 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18315 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18317 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18318 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18321 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18322 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18325 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18326 containing the Picons databases.
18328 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18331 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18332 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18337 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18345 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18346 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18347 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18348 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18349 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18354 @item gnus-picons-database
18355 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18356 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18357 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18358 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18359 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18360 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18362 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18363 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18364 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18365 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18366 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18367 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18368 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18370 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18371 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18372 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18373 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18374 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18375 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18376 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18377 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18379 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18380 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18381 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18386 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18387 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18389 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18390 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18393 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18395 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18396 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18397 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18398 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18400 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18401 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18402 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18408 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18409 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18417 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18418 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18419 don't need to worry about.
18423 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18424 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18425 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18426 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18428 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18429 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18430 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18431 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18433 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18434 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18435 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18436 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18437 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18439 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18440 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18441 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18442 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18443 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18444 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18445 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18447 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18448 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18449 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18450 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18452 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18453 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18454 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18455 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18456 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18457 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18458 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18460 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18461 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18462 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18463 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18465 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18466 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18467 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18468 Defaults to @code{t}.
18470 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18471 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18472 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18473 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18475 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18476 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18477 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18479 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18480 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18481 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18482 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18484 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18485 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
18487 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18488 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18489 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18490 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18491 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18492 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18493 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18494 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18505 @subsection Smileys
18510 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18515 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18516 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18518 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18519 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18522 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18525 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18526 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18527 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18528 text and maps that to file names.
18530 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18531 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18532 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18533 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18534 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18535 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18537 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18538 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18540 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18541 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18542 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18544 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18545 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18549 @item smiley-data-directory
18550 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18551 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18553 @item smiley-flesh-color
18554 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18555 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18557 @item smiley-features-color
18558 @vindex smiley-features-color
18559 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18561 @item smiley-tongue-color
18562 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18563 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18565 @item smiley-circle-color
18566 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18567 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18569 @item smiley-mouse-face
18570 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18571 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18577 @subsection Toolbar
18587 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18588 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18589 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18590 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18591 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18593 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18594 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18595 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18597 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18598 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18599 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18601 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18602 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18603 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18609 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18612 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18613 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18614 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18615 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18616 unusual directory structure.
18618 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18619 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18620 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18621 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18623 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18624 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18625 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18626 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18627 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18628 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18630 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18631 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18632 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18646 @node Fuzzy Matching
18647 @section Fuzzy Matching
18648 @cindex fuzzy matching
18650 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18651 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18653 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18654 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18655 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18657 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18658 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18659 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18660 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18661 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18664 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18665 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18669 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18671 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18672 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18673 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18674 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18675 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18676 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18677 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18678 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18681 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18682 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18683 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18684 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18685 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18686 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18690 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18691 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18693 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18694 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18695 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18696 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18697 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18698 part of the mail address.)
18701 (setq message-default-news-headers
18702 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18705 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18706 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18711 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18712 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18713 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18719 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18720 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18721 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18722 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18724 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18725 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18726 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18727 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18728 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18729 your fancy split rule in this way:
18734 (to "larsi" "misc")
18738 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18739 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18740 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18741 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18742 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18744 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18745 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18746 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
18747 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18748 cosmic balance somewhat.
18750 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18751 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18752 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18753 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18756 @node Various Various
18757 @section Various Various
18763 @item gnus-home-directory
18764 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18765 defaults to @file{~/}.
18767 @item gnus-directory
18768 @vindex gnus-directory
18769 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18770 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18771 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18773 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18774 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18775 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18776 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18778 @item gnus-default-directory
18779 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18780 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18781 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18782 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18783 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18784 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18785 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18788 @vindex gnus-verbose
18789 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18790 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18791 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18792 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18793 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18795 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18796 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18797 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18798 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18800 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18801 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18802 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18803 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18804 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18805 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18806 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18807 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18808 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18809 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18811 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18812 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18813 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18814 read when doing the operation described above.
18816 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18817 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18819 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18820 @cindex characters in file names
18821 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18822 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18823 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18826 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18830 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18831 Windows (phooey) systems.
18833 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18834 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18835 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18836 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18837 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18839 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18840 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18841 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18842 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18843 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18845 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18846 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18847 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18849 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18850 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18852 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18853 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18854 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18855 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18858 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18867 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18868 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18870 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18872 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18878 Not because of victories @*
18881 but for the common sunshine,@*
18883 the largess of the spring.
18887 but for the day's work done@*
18888 as well as I was able;@*
18889 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18890 but at the common table.@*
18895 @chapter Appendices
18898 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18899 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18900 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18901 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18902 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18903 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18904 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18905 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18913 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18914 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18916 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18917 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18918 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
18919 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18920 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18922 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18923 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18924 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18925 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18926 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18927 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18929 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18930 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18931 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18932 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18935 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18936 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18937 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18938 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18939 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18940 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18941 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18942 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18943 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18944 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18948 @node Gnus Versions
18949 @subsection Gnus Versions
18950 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18952 @cindex September Gnus
18953 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18955 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18956 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18957 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18959 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18960 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18962 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18963 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18965 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18966 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18968 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18969 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18972 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
18974 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18975 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
18976 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
18977 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
18978 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
18979 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
18982 @node Other Gnus Versions
18983 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18986 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18987 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18988 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18989 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18991 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18992 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18993 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18994 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19001 What's the point of Gnus?
19003 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19004 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19005 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19006 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19007 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19008 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19009 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19010 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19011 keep track of millions of people who post?
19013 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19014 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19015 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19016 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19017 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19018 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19019 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19020 every one of you to explore and invent.
19022 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19023 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19026 @node Compatibility
19027 @subsection Compatibility
19029 @cindex compatibility
19030 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19031 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19032 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19037 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19041 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19044 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19047 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19048 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19049 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19050 important variables have their values copied into their global
19051 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19052 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19054 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19055 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19056 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19057 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19058 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19062 @cindex highlighting
19063 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19064 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19065 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19066 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19067 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19068 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19071 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19072 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19073 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19074 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19076 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19077 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19078 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19079 to stop doing it the old way.
19081 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19083 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19085 @cindex reporting bugs
19087 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19088 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19089 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19091 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19092 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19093 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19094 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19099 @subsection Conformity
19101 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19102 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19109 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19113 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19115 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19116 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19117 We do have some breaches to this one.
19123 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19124 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19125 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19126 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19127 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19132 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19133 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19134 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19135 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19139 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19140 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19145 @subsection Emacsen
19151 Gnus should work on :
19159 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
19163 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19164 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19165 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
19166 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
19167 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
19169 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19170 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19171 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19175 @node Gnus Development
19176 @subsection Gnus Development
19178 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19179 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19180 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19181 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19182 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19183 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19184 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19185 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19187 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19188 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19189 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19190 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19191 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19194 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19195 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19196 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19197 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19198 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19200 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19201 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19202 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19203 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19204 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19205 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19206 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19207 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19208 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19209 can't be assumed to do so.
19214 @subsection Contributors
19215 @cindex contributors
19217 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19218 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19219 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19220 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19221 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19222 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19223 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19224 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19225 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19226 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19228 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19234 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19237 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19238 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19239 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19240 functionality and stuff.
19243 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19244 well as numerous other things).
19247 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19250 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19253 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19256 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19257 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19260 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19263 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19264 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19267 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19270 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19273 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19276 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19279 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19280 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19283 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19286 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19289 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19292 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19296 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19299 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19302 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19305 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19306 well as autoconf support.
19310 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19311 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19313 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19322 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19326 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19336 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19351 Massimo Campostrini,
19356 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19357 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19361 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19364 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19370 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19375 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19379 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19387 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19389 Michelangelo Grigni,
19393 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19395 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19397 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19404 François Felix Ingrand,
19405 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19406 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19408 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19419 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19420 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19422 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19423 Thor Kristoffersen,
19426 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19444 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19445 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19452 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19457 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19461 John McClary Prevost,
19467 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19472 Christian von Roques,
19475 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19482 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19484 Randal L. Schwartz,
19498 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19503 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19519 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19524 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19525 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19526 (550kB and counting).
19528 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19531 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19532 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19536 @subsection New Features
19537 @cindex new features
19540 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19541 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19542 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19543 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19546 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19547 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19548 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19552 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19554 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19559 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19560 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19563 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19564 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19567 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19570 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19571 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19572 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19575 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19576 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19577 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19578 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19581 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19582 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19585 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19586 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19587 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19590 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19591 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19594 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19595 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19596 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19599 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19600 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19601 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19604 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19605 the @file{.emacs} file.
19608 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19609 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19612 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19613 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19616 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19617 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19620 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19621 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19624 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19625 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19628 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19631 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19632 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19635 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19636 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19639 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19640 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19643 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19646 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19647 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19650 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19654 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19658 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19659 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19662 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19668 @node September Gnus
19669 @subsubsection September Gnus
19673 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19677 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19682 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19683 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19687 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19688 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19692 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19696 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19697 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19700 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19704 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19707 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19710 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19713 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19717 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19718 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19721 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19725 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19729 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19733 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19737 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19740 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19741 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19744 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19748 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19749 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19752 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19755 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19756 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19757 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19760 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19764 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19767 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19771 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19772 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19775 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19776 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19779 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19780 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19783 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19784 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19785 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19788 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19789 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19792 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19795 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19798 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19801 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19804 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19805 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19808 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19812 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19815 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19820 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19823 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19827 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19830 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19834 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19837 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19840 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19841 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19844 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19845 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19849 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19850 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19853 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19857 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19858 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19861 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19864 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19868 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19872 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19873 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19876 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19880 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19881 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19884 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19885 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19888 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19892 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19895 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19898 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19904 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19906 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19910 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19917 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19920 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19921 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19924 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19925 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19929 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19930 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19933 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19936 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19937 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19940 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19944 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19945 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19949 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19950 Server Internals}).
19953 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19957 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19960 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19961 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19964 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19965 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19966 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19969 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19970 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19973 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19974 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19977 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19981 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19982 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19985 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19986 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19989 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19993 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19996 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20000 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20001 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20004 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20005 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20008 A new command for reading collections of documents
20009 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20010 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20013 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20017 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20018 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20021 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20022 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20023 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20026 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20027 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20031 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20035 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20039 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20044 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20048 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20052 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20053 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20056 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20062 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20064 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20069 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20070 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20071 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20074 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20075 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20076 group, which is created automatically.
20079 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20083 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20086 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20087 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20090 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20094 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20097 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20098 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20101 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20104 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20105 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20108 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20109 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20112 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20113 control over simplification.
20116 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20119 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20123 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20126 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20129 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20130 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20131 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20134 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20135 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20138 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20142 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20143 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20146 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20147 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20150 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20154 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20157 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20160 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20161 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20164 A new function for citing in Message has been
20165 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20168 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20171 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20175 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20176 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20179 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20180 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20183 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20186 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20191 @node Newest Features
20192 @subsection Newest Features
20195 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
20198 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
20200 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
20201 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
20204 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
20209 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
20210 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
20213 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
20216 @uref{http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/}
20219 facep is not declared.
20222 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
20223 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
20226 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
20231 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
20232 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
20233 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
20234 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
20235 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
20236 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
20237 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
20242 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
20245 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
20248 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
20250 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
20251 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
20253 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
20255 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
20257 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
20258 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
20260 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
20262 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
20263 be marked as unread.
20265 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
20267 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
20269 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
20270 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
20272 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
20274 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
20276 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
20277 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
20279 topics that contain just groups with ticked
20280 articles aren't displayed.
20282 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
20284 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
20285 make the mail groups killed.
20287 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
20289 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
20290 and articles have to be removed.
20292 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
20295 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
20297 finding short score file names takes forever.
20299 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20301 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
20303 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
20305 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
20307 nnweb doesn't work properly.
20309 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
20311 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
20312 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
20316 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
20318 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
20319 bar and the Gnus bar.
20322 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
20323 `(canonize-message-id id)'
20324 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
20325 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
20326 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
20327 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
20332 nnml .overview directory with splits.
20336 postponed commands.
20338 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
20340 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
20343 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
20344 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
20346 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
20347 inherit copy prompts and save files.
20349 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
20351 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
20352 for backends that support that.
20354 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
20356 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
20357 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
20359 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
20360 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
20362 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
20364 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
20366 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
20368 server mode command: close/open all connections
20370 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
20371 has been changed before using it.
20373 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
20375 hide (sub)threads with low score.
20377 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
20379 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
20381 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
20382 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
20384 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
20385 contain groups that match a regexp.
20387 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
20390 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
20393 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
20394 from subject lines.
20396 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
20398 nntp-ping-before-connect
20400 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
20402 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
20403 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
20405 message annotations.
20407 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
20409 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
20410 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
20412 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
20417 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
20419 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
20421 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
20423 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
20424 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
20426 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
20428 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
20430 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
20431 finds and generate proper active ranges.
20433 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
20434 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
20436 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
20438 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
20440 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
20441 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
20443 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
20445 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
20447 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
20448 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
20451 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
20453 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
20455 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
20456 `C-c C-c' when posting.
20458 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
20461 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
20462 should be marker as expirable.
20464 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
20466 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
20467 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
20469 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
20470 Also consult Date headers.
20472 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
20474 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
20476 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
20477 Message-ID, delete the "original".
20479 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
20480 into a See-Also header.
20482 support setext: @uref{http://www.bsdi.com/setext/}
20484 support ProleText: @uref{http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html}
20486 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
20487 should be listed as such and not as "K".
20489 generate font names dynamically.
20491 score file mode auto-alist.
20493 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
20494 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
20496 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
20497 absolutely all headers there is.
20499 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
20500 and pipe them to the process.
20502 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
20503 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
20504 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
20506 function for starting to edit a file to put into
20507 the current mail group.
20509 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
20511 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
20512 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
20514 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
20515 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
20517 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
20519 when replying to several process-marked articles,
20520 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
20522 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
20523 groups it has been mailed to.
20525 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
20527 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
20529 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20531 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20532 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20534 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20535 newlines) should be ignored.
20537 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20538 groups in subtopics as well.
20540 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20542 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20545 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20547 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20549 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20551 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20553 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20555 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20557 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20558 or the formatted article.
20560 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20562 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20563 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20565 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20567 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20569 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20571 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20572 even unread articles.
20574 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20576 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20578 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20580 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20582 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20584 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20587 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20588 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20590 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20591 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20593 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20595 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20597 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20598 from a particular server? Hm.
20600 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20601 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20603 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20605 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20606 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20608 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20609 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20611 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20612 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20613 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20616 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20617 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20619 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20621 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20623 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20625 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20628 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20631 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20632 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20634 command to show and edit group scores
20636 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20639 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20641 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20643 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20644 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20647 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20648 that are of that length.
20650 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20652 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20654 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20656 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20658 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20660 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20662 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20663 a score lower than this number.
20665 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20667 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20669 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20670 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20672 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20674 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20675 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20677 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20680 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20681 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20682 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20683 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20685 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20688 command to remove all topic stuff.
20690 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20691 and splitting the resulting digests.
20693 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20695 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20697 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20698 matches an alist -- before saving.
20700 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20702 variable to activate each group before entering them
20703 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20705 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20706 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20708 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20709 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20711 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20713 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20714 of several groups at once.
20716 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20717 matches some regexp(s).
20719 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20721 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20723 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20725 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20727 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20729 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20731 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20733 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20734 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20735 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20736 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20738 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20739 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20741 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20743 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20744 recently cited text.
20746 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20748 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20751 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20752 server and just read the articles in the server
20754 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20755 value of nnoo variables.
20757 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20759 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20760 listed in each group info.
20762 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20765 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20766 should only be applied to some groups.
20768 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20769 mail-copies-to: never.
20771 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20772 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20774 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20776 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20779 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20782 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20784 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20787 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20791 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20793 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20794 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20795 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20796 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20797 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20799 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20800 @uref{ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html}
20807 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20808 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20810 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20811 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20813 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20814 "Return the date the group was last read."
20815 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20820 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20821 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20822 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20823 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20827 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20828 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20830 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20833 They could be used like this:
20837 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20838 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20839 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20841 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20843 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20846 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20849 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20850 affect the summary line format.
20854 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20856 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20857 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20859 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20862 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20864 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20866 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20868 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20870 - For other files, just find them normally.
20872 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20873 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20876 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20877 tell him what you are doing.
20880 Currently, I get prompted:
20884 decend into sci.something ?
20888 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20889 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20890 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20891 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20894 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20895 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20896 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20897 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20900 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20901 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20907 more than n blank lines
20909 more than m identical lines
20910 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20912 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20916 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20917 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20918 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20919 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20922 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20923 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20924 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20925 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20928 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20931 soup - bowl of soup
20932 score below - dim light bulb
20933 score over - bright light bulb
20936 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20941 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20942 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20943 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20944 if (articles-selected)
20945 start-reading-selected-articles;
20946 junk-unread-articles;
20951 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20952 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20953 select-thread-under-cursor;
20955 select-article-under-cursor;
20959 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20960 if (more-pages-in-article)
20962 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20969 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20970 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20971 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20974 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20975 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20976 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20977 the wildcard expression).
20980 It would be nice if it also handled
20982 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20984 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20989 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20990 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20991 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20992 article versions) variable.
20994 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20996 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20997 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
21001 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
21004 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
21005 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
21006 (message-sent-hook).
21008 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
21011 * Enhancements to Gnus:
21015 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
21016 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
21019 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
21020 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
21021 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
21024 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
21025 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
21029 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
21032 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
21036 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
21037 the nnmail duplicate checking.
21040 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
21041 value of the signature file.
21044 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
21045 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
21048 (setq message-tab-alist
21049 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
21050 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
21052 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
21056 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
21059 a command to import a buffer into a group.
21062 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
21065 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
21066 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
21069 a command to process mark all unread articles.
21072 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
21073 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
21074 do more gathering by subject.
21077 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
21078 article numerical order.
21081 (gnus-thread-total-score
21082 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
21086 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
21089 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
21090 in the summary buffer.
21093 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
21094 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
21097 @uref{http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html}?
21098 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
21099 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
21100 and/or newsgroup name.
21103 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
21106 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
21109 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
21112 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
21113 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
21114 will automatically get the process mark.
21117 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
21118 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
21119 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
21122 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
21126 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
21127 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
21130 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
21131 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
21135 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
21136 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
21139 be able to post via DejaNews.
21142 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
21145 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
21146 allow them to be displayed separately.
21149 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
21150 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
21153 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
21154 articles that match a certain From header.
21157 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
21158 saving living summary buffers.
21161 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
21162 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
21165 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
21166 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
21169 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
21170 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
21173 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
21174 (goto-char (point-min))
21175 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
21176 (replace-match "`" t t))
21177 (goto-char (point-min))
21178 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
21179 (replace-match "'" t t))
21180 (goto-char (point-min))
21181 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
21182 (replace-match "\"" t t))
21183 (goto-char (point-min))
21184 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
21185 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
21190 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
21192 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
21193 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
21194 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
21195 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
21199 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
21202 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
21203 numbers and match on the age of the article.
21207 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
21208 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
21209 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
21211 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
21212 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
21214 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
21215 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
21220 all commands that react to the process mark should push
21221 the current process mark set onto the stack.
21224 gnus-article-hide-pgp
21225 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
21227 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
21229 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
21230 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
21233 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
21234 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
21237 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
21241 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
21242 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
21245 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
21248 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
21251 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
21254 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
21258 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
21264 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
21267 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
21271 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
21272 X characters in the body.
21275 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
21278 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
21281 format spec to "tab" to a position.
21284 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
21287 command to display all dormant articles.
21290 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
21293 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
21294 to something someone else has said.
21297 Read Netscape discussion groups:
21298 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
21301 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
21302 the displayed version.
21305 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
21309 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
21312 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
21313 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
21314 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
21318 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
21319 in the head or body.
21322 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
21325 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
21328 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
21329 in a special, unique buffer.
21332 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
21335 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
21336 is less than a certain number of days old.
21339 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
21342 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
21345 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
21346 file, for instance.
21349 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
21350 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
21351 dummy root instead of the first article.
21354 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
21355 topics for displaying.
21358 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
21359 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
21362 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
21365 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
21366 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
21367 summary buffer for each article.
21370 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
21373 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
21377 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
21380 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
21384 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
21387 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
21390 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
21391 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
21394 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
21395 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
21398 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
21399 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
21402 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
21403 timeout for all commands.
21406 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
21407 It should go somewhere else.
21410 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
21411 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
21412 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
21414 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
21415 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
21417 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
21418 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
21425 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
21426 --text follows this line--
21427 Sorry I killfiled you...
21429 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21431 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21436 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
21440 - Edit article's summary line.
21442 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
21444 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
21450 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
21454 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
21455 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
21459 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
21462 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
21465 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
21466 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
21467 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
21468 turn into a [-] button.)
21471 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
21472 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
21473 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
21474 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
21477 Handle external-body parts.
21480 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
21484 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
21487 (body "whatever.text")
21491 Be able to run `J u' from summary buffers.
21494 Solve the halting problem.
21503 @section The Manual
21507 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21508 either @code{texi2dvi}
21510 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21511 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21513 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21515 The following conventions have been used:
21520 This is a @samp{string}
21523 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21526 This is a @file{file}
21529 This is a @code{symbol}
21533 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21537 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21540 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21543 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21546 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21547 ever get them confused.
21551 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21552 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21553 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21554 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21555 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21556 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21557 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21563 @node On Writing Manuals
21564 @section On Writing Manuals
21566 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21567 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21568 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21569 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21570 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21571 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21574 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21575 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21576 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21579 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21580 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21585 @section Terminology
21587 @cindex terminology
21592 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21593 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21594 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21595 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21596 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21600 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21601 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21602 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21603 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21607 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21611 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21616 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21617 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21618 is all done by the backends.
21622 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21623 default, way of getting news.
21627 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21628 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21633 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21634 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21638 A message that has been posted as news.
21641 @cindex mail message
21642 A message that has been mailed.
21646 A mail message or news article
21650 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21655 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21660 A line from the head of an article.
21664 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21665 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21669 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21670 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21671 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21672 normal @sc{head} format.
21676 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21677 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21678 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21679 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21680 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21681 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21683 @item killed groups
21684 @cindex killed groups
21685 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21686 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21688 @item zombie groups
21689 @cindex zombie groups
21690 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21693 @cindex active file
21694 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21695 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21696 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21699 @cindex bogus groups
21700 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21701 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21702 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21705 @cindex activating groups
21706 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21707 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21708 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21712 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21714 @item select method
21715 @cindex select method
21716 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21719 @item virtual server
21720 @cindex virtual server
21721 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21722 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21723 whole is a virtual server.
21727 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21728 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21731 @item ephemeral groups
21732 @cindex ephemeral groups
21733 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21734 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21735 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21738 @cindex solid groups
21739 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21740 group buffer are solid groups.
21742 @item sparse articles
21743 @cindex sparse articles
21744 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21745 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21749 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21750 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21754 @cindex thread root
21755 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21756 articles in the thread.
21760 An article that has responses.
21764 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21768 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21769 specified by RFC 1153.
21775 @node Customization
21776 @section Customization
21777 @cindex general customization
21779 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21780 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21781 for some quite common situations.
21784 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21785 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21786 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21787 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21791 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21792 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21794 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21795 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21796 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21800 @item gnus-read-active-file
21801 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21802 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21803 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21804 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21805 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21807 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21808 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21809 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21810 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21814 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21815 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21817 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21818 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21819 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21823 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21824 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21825 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21826 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21827 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21829 @item gnus-visible-headers
21830 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21831 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21832 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21833 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21835 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21837 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21838 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21839 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21842 @item gnus-use-full-window
21843 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21844 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21845 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21846 want to read them anyway.
21848 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21849 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21852 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21853 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21854 lines, which might save some time.
21858 @node Little Disk Space
21859 @subsection Little Disk Space
21862 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21863 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21867 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21868 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21869 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21870 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21873 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21874 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21875 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21876 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21879 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21880 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21881 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21882 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21883 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21889 @subsection Slow Machine
21890 @cindex slow machine
21892 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21893 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21895 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21896 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21898 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21899 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21900 summary buffer faster.
21904 @node Troubleshooting
21905 @section Troubleshooting
21906 @cindex troubleshooting
21908 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21916 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21919 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21920 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21924 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21925 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21926 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21927 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21928 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21931 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21935 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21936 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21937 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21938 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21939 something like that.
21942 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21945 @cindex reporting bugs
21947 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21949 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21950 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21951 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21952 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21954 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21955 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21956 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21957 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21960 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21961 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21962 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21963 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21964 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21965 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21967 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21968 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21969 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21972 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21973 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21975 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21976 @cindex ding mailing list
21977 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21978 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21982 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21983 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21985 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21986 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21987 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21988 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21991 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21992 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21993 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21994 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21995 and general methods of operation.
21998 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21999 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22000 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22001 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22002 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22003 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22004 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22005 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22006 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22010 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22011 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22012 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22013 @cindex utility functions
22015 @cindex internal variables
22017 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22018 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22019 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22023 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22024 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22025 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22027 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22028 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22029 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22031 @item gnus-group-real-name
22032 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22033 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22036 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22037 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22038 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22039 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22041 @item gnus-get-info
22042 @findex gnus-get-info
22043 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22045 @item gnus-group-unread
22046 @findex gnus-group-unread
22047 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22051 @findex gnus-active
22052 The active entry for @var{group}.
22054 @item gnus-set-active
22055 @findex gnus-set-active
22056 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22058 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22059 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22060 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22063 @item gnus-continuum-version
22064 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22065 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22066 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22069 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22070 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22071 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22073 @item gnus-news-group-p
22074 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22075 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
22077 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22078 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22079 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22081 @item gnus-server-to-method
22082 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22083 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22085 @item gnus-server-equal
22086 @findex gnus-server-equal
22087 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22089 @item gnus-group-native-p
22090 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22091 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22093 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22094 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22095 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22097 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22098 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22099 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22101 @item group-group-find-parameter
22102 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22103 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22104 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22106 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22107 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22108 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22110 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22111 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22112 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22114 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22115 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22116 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
22117 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22120 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22124 @item gnus-read-method
22125 @findex gnus-read-method
22126 Prompts the user for a select method.
22131 @node Backend Interface
22132 @subsection Backend Interface
22134 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22135 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22136 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
22137 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22138 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22139 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22141 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
22142 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22143 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
22144 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22145 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22146 been opened, the function should fail.
22148 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22149 name. Take this example:
22153 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22154 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22157 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22158 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22160 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22161 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22162 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22164 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22165 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22166 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22168 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22169 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22170 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22171 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22172 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22173 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22176 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
22177 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
22178 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22179 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22182 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
22185 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22188 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22189 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22190 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22191 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
22192 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22193 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
22197 @node Required Backend Functions
22198 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
22202 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22204 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22205 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
22206 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
22207 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22209 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22210 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22211 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22212 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22214 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22215 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22216 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22217 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22218 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
22219 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22220 number, do maximum fetches.
22222 Here's an example HEAD:
22225 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22226 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22227 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22228 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22229 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22230 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22231 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22233 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22234 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22235 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22239 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22240 these in the data buffer.
22242 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22246 head = error / valid-head
22247 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22248 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22249 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22250 header = <text> eol
22253 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22254 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22258 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22259 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22260 field = <text except TAB>
22263 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22267 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22269 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22270 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22272 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
22273 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22274 server. In fact, it should do so.
22276 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22277 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22280 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22282 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22283 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22286 There should be no data returned.
22289 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22291 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
22292 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
22293 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22294 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22296 There should be no data returned.
22299 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22301 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22302 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22303 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22304 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22306 There should be no data returned.
22309 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22311 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22313 There should be no data returned.
22316 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22318 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22319 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22320 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22321 it would be nice if that were possible.
22323 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22324 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22325 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22326 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22327 into its article buffer.
22329 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22330 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22331 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22332 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22333 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22334 on successful article retrieval.
22337 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22339 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22340 making @var{group} the current group.
22342 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22345 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22348 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22351 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22352 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22353 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22354 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22355 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22356 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22357 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22358 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22361 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22362 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22363 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22367 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22369 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22370 a no-op on most backends.
22372 There should be no data returned.
22375 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22377 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22380 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22383 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22384 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22387 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22388 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22391 active-file = *active-line
22392 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22394 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22397 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22398 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22399 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22402 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22404 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22405 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22406 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22407 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22408 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22409 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22411 There should be no result data from this function.
22416 @node Optional Backend Functions
22417 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
22421 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22423 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22424 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22425 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22427 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22428 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22429 former is in the same format as the data from
22430 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22431 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22434 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22438 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22440 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
22441 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
22442 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22443 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22444 should return the (altered) group info.
22446 There should be no result data from this function.
22449 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22451 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22452 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22453 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22454 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22455 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22456 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22457 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22458 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22460 There should be no result data from this function.
22463 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22465 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22466 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22467 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22468 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22469 propagate the mark information to the server.
22471 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22474 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22477 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
22478 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
22479 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
22480 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
22481 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
22482 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
22483 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
22484 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
22485 not limit itself to these.
22487 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22488 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22489 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22490 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22492 An example action list:
22495 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22496 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22497 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22500 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22501 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22503 There should be no result data from this function.
22505 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22507 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
22508 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22509 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22510 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
22511 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22513 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22514 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22515 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22518 There should be no result data from this function.
22521 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22523 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22524 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22525 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22526 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22527 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22528 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22529 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22531 There should be no result data from this function.
22534 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22536 The result data from this function should be a description of
22540 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22542 description = <text>
22545 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22547 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22548 groups available on the server.
22551 description-buffer = *description-line
22555 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22557 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22558 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22559 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22562 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22564 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22566 There should be no return data.
22569 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22571 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22572 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22573 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22574 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22575 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22578 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22581 There should be no result data returned.
22584 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22587 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22588 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22590 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22591 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22592 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22593 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22594 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22595 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22597 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22598 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22601 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22602 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22604 There should be no data returned.
22607 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22609 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22610 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22611 this function in short order.
22613 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22614 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22616 There should be no data returned.
22619 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22621 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22622 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22624 There should be no data returned.
22627 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22629 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22630 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22631 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22633 There should be no data returned.
22636 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22638 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22639 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22641 There should be no data returned.
22646 @node Error Messaging
22647 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22649 @findex nnheader-report
22650 @findex nnheader-get-report
22651 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22652 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22653 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22654 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22655 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22656 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22659 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22661 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22664 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22665 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22666 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22667 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22669 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22670 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22671 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22674 @node Writing New Backends
22675 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22677 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22678 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22679 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22680 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22681 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22684 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22685 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22686 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22688 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22689 package called @code{nnoo}.
22691 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22692 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22698 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22699 parameters. For instance:
22702 (nnoo-declare nndir
22706 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22707 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22710 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22711 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22712 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22714 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22715 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22716 a function in those backends.
22719 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22720 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22721 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22724 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22725 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22726 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22728 @item nnoo-define-basics
22729 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22733 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22737 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22738 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22739 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22741 @item nnoo-map-functions
22742 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22743 functions from the parent backends.
22746 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22747 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22748 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22751 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22752 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22753 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22754 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22757 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22758 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22759 haven't already been defined.
22765 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22769 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22770 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22771 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22776 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22779 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22780 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22784 (require 'nnheader)
22788 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22790 (nnoo-declare nndir
22793 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22794 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22795 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22797 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22798 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22801 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22802 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22803 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22805 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22806 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22808 ;;; Interface functions.
22810 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22812 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22813 (setq nndir-directory
22814 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22816 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22817 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22818 (push `(nndir-current-group
22819 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22821 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22822 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22824 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22826 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22827 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22828 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22829 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22830 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22834 nnmh-status-message
22836 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22842 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22843 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22845 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22846 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22847 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22848 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22850 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22851 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22856 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22859 The abilities can be:
22863 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22865 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22867 This backend supports both mail and news.
22869 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22872 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22873 articles and groups.
22875 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22876 true for almost all backends.
22877 @item prompt-address
22878 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22879 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22880 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22884 @node Mail-like Backends
22885 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22887 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22888 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22889 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22890 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22893 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22894 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22895 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22898 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22899 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22902 This function takes four parameters.
22906 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22909 @item exit-function
22910 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22912 @item temp-directory
22913 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22916 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22917 performed for one group only.
22920 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22921 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22922 find the article number assigned to this article.
22924 The function also uses the following variables:
22925 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22926 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22927 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22928 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22932 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22933 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22937 @node Score File Syntax
22938 @subsection Score File Syntax
22940 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22941 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22942 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22944 Here's a typical score file:
22948 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22955 BNF definition of a score file:
22958 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22959 element = rule / atom
22960 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22961 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22962 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22963 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22965 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22966 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22967 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22968 date-header = "date"
22969 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22970 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22971 score = "nil" / <integer>
22972 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22973 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22974 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22975 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22976 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22977 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22978 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22979 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22980 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22981 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22982 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22983 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22984 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22985 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22986 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22987 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22988 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22989 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22990 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22991 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22992 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22993 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22994 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22995 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22996 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22997 eval = "eval" space <form>
22998 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23001 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23004 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23005 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23006 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23007 one looong line, then that's ok.
23009 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23010 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23014 @subsection Headers
23016 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23017 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23018 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23019 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23021 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23022 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23023 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23024 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23025 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23026 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23027 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23029 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23030 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23031 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23032 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23033 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23035 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23036 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23042 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23043 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23045 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23046 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23047 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23048 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23050 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23054 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23057 is transformed into
23060 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23063 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23064 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23067 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23070 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23071 is slightly tricky:
23074 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23080 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23083 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23089 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23096 and is equal to the previous range.
23098 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23099 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23100 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23104 range = simple-range / normal-range
23105 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23106 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23107 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23108 number *[ " " contents ]
23111 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23112 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23113 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23114 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23115 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23120 @subsection Group Info
23122 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23123 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23124 describes the group.
23126 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23127 second is a more complex one:
23130 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23132 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23133 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23135 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23138 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23139 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23140 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23141 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23142 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23143 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23144 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23145 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23146 this section is about.
23148 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23149 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23150 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23152 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23155 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23156 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23157 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23158 group = quote <string> quote
23159 ralevel = rank / level
23160 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23161 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23162 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23164 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23165 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23166 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23167 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23170 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23171 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23174 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23175 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23178 @item gnus-info-group
23179 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23180 @findex gnus-info-group
23181 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23182 Get/set the group name.
23184 @item gnus-info-rank
23185 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23186 @findex gnus-info-rank
23187 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23188 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23190 @item gnus-info-level
23191 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23192 @findex gnus-info-level
23193 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23194 Get/set the group level.
23196 @item gnus-info-score
23197 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23198 @findex gnus-info-score
23199 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23200 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23202 @item gnus-info-read
23203 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23204 @findex gnus-info-read
23205 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23206 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23208 @item gnus-info-marks
23209 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23210 @findex gnus-info-marks
23211 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23212 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23214 @item gnus-info-method
23215 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23216 @findex gnus-info-method
23217 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23218 Get/set the group select method.
23220 @item gnus-info-params
23221 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23222 @findex gnus-info-params
23223 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23224 Get/set the group parameters.
23227 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23228 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23230 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23231 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23232 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23233 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23236 @node Extended Interactive
23237 @subsection Extended Interactive
23238 @cindex interactive
23239 @findex gnus-interactive
23241 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23242 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23243 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23246 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23247 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23252 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23253 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23254 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23255 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23256 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23257 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23258 @code{interactive}.
23260 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23265 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23266 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23270 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23271 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23272 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23275 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23279 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23283 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23289 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23290 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23294 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23295 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23296 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23298 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23299 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23300 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23301 Gnus, that's very useful.
23303 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23304 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23305 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23306 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23307 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23308 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23309 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23310 following function:
23313 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23317 (,function ,@@args))
23321 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23322 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23323 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23326 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23327 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23328 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23330 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23331 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23332 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23335 @node Various File Formats
23336 @subsection Various File Formats
23339 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23340 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23344 @node Active File Format
23345 @subsubsection Active File Format
23347 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23348 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23351 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23354 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23355 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23356 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23357 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23358 no.general 1000 900 y
23361 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23364 active = *group-line
23365 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
23366 group = <non-white-space string>
23368 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23369 low-number = <positive integer>
23370 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23373 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23374 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23377 @node Newsgroups File Format
23378 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23380 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23381 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23382 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23385 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23386 Here's the definition:
23390 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23391 group = <non-white-space string>
23393 description = <string>
23398 @node Emacs for Heathens
23399 @section Emacs for Heathens
23401 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23402 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23403 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23404 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23405 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23406 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23407 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23411 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23412 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23417 @subsection Keystrokes
23421 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23424 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23427 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23428 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23429 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23430 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23431 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23432 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23434 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23435 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23436 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23437 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23438 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23439 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23440 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23442 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23443 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23444 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23445 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23446 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23447 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23448 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23450 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23451 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23452 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23453 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23454 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23460 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23462 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23463 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23464 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23465 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23467 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23468 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23469 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23470 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23471 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23472 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23473 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23476 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23477 write the following:
23480 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23483 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23484 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23485 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23488 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23489 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23490 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23491 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23492 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23494 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23495 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23496 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23500 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23504 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23507 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23508 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23511 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23514 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23515 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23518 @include gnus-faq.texi
23539 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23540 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23541 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23542 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23543 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref