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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.14 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
278 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
279 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
280 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
281 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
282 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
283 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
284 License'' in the Emacs manual.
286 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
287 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
288 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
290 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
291 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
292 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
293 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
301 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
303 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
305 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
306 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
307 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
308 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
309 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
310 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
311 License'' in the Emacs manual.
313 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
314 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
315 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
317 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
318 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
319 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
320 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
326 @title T-gnus 6.14 Manual
328 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
331 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
332 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
334 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
335 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
336 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
337 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
338 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
339 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
340 License'' in the Emacs manual.
342 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
343 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
344 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
346 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
347 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
348 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
349 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
358 @top The gnus Newsreader
362 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
363 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
364 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
367 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
368 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
369 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
370 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
371 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
372 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
374 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.14.
385 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
386 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
388 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
389 being accused of plagiarism:
391 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
392 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
393 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
394 can even read news with it!
396 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
397 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
398 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
399 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
400 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
406 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
407 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
408 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
409 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
410 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
411 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
412 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
413 * Various:: General purpose settings.
414 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
415 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
416 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
417 * Key Index:: Key Index.
420 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
424 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
425 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
426 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
427 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
428 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
429 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
430 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
431 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
432 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
433 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
434 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
438 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
439 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
440 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
444 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
445 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
446 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
447 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
448 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
449 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
450 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
451 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
452 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
453 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
454 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
455 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
456 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
457 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
458 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
459 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
460 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
464 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
465 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
466 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
470 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
471 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
472 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
473 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
474 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
478 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
479 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
480 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
481 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
485 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
486 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
487 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
488 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
489 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
490 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
491 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
492 * Threading:: How threads are made.
493 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
494 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
495 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
496 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
497 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
498 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
499 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
500 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
501 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
502 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
503 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
504 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
505 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
506 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
507 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
508 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
509 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
510 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
511 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
512 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
513 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
515 Summary Buffer Format
517 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
518 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
519 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
520 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
524 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
525 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
527 Reply, Followup and Post
529 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
530 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
531 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
532 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
536 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
537 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
538 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
539 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
540 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
541 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
545 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
546 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
548 Customizing Threading
550 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
551 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
552 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
553 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
557 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
558 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
559 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
560 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
561 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
562 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
566 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
567 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
568 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
572 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
573 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
574 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
575 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
576 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
577 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
578 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
579 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
581 Alternative Approaches
583 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
584 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
586 Various Summary Stuff
588 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
589 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
590 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
591 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
595 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
596 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
597 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
598 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
599 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
603 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
604 * Post:: Posting and following up.
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?
614 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
615 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
616 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
617 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
618 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
619 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
620 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
624 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
625 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
626 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
627 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
628 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
629 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
630 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
634 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
635 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
639 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
640 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
641 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
642 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
643 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
644 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
645 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
646 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
647 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
648 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
649 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
650 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
651 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
655 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
656 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
657 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
659 Choosing a Mail Backend
661 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
662 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
663 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
664 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
665 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
666 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
670 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
671 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
672 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
673 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
677 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
678 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
679 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
680 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
681 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
682 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
686 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
690 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
691 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
692 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
696 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
697 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
698 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
702 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
703 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
707 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
708 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
709 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
710 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
711 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
712 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
713 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
714 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
715 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
716 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
720 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
721 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
722 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
726 * Group Agent Commands::
727 * Summary Agent Commands::
728 * Server Agent Commands::
732 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
733 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
734 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
735 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
736 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
737 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
738 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
739 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
740 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
741 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
742 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
743 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
744 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
745 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
746 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
747 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
751 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
752 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
753 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
754 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
758 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
759 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
760 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
764 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
765 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
766 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
767 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
768 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
769 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
770 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
771 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
772 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
773 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
774 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
775 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
776 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
777 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
778 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
779 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
780 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
781 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
785 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
786 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
787 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
788 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
789 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
793 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
794 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
795 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
796 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
800 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
801 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
802 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
803 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
804 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
808 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
809 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
810 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
811 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
812 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
813 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
814 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
815 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
819 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
820 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
821 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
822 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
823 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
824 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
825 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
826 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
827 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
828 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
832 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
833 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
834 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
835 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
839 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
840 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
841 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
842 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
846 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
847 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
848 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
849 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
850 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
851 * Group Info:: The group info format.
852 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
853 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
854 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
858 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
859 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
860 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
861 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
862 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
863 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
867 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
868 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
872 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
873 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
879 @chapter Starting gnus
884 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
885 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
888 @findex gnus-other-frame
889 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
890 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
891 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
893 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
894 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
895 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
897 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
898 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
901 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
902 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
903 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
904 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
905 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
906 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
907 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
908 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
909 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
910 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
911 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
915 @node Finding the News
916 @section Finding the News
919 @vindex gnus-select-method
921 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
922 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
923 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
924 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
927 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
928 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
931 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
934 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
937 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
940 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
941 certainly be much faster.
943 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
945 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
946 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
947 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
948 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
949 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
950 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
952 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
953 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
954 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
955 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
957 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
958 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
959 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
960 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
961 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
962 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
963 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
964 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
965 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
968 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
970 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
971 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
972 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
973 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
974 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
975 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
977 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
979 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
980 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
981 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
982 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
983 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
984 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
987 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
988 would typically set this variable to
991 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
996 @section The First Time
997 @cindex first time usage
999 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1000 be subscribed by default.
1002 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1003 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1004 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1005 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1008 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1009 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1010 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1012 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1013 help you with most common problems.
1015 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1016 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1020 @node The Server is Down
1021 @section The Server is Down
1022 @cindex server errors
1024 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1025 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1026 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1028 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1029 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1030 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1031 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1032 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1033 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1034 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1036 @findex gnus-no-server
1037 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1039 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1040 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1041 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1042 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1043 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1044 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1049 @section Slave Gnusae
1052 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1053 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1054 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1055 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1057 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1058 @code{.newsrc} file.
1060 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1061 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1062 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1063 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1064 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1065 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1066 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1068 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1069 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1070 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1071 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1072 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1073 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1074 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1075 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1077 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1078 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1081 @node Fetching a Group
1082 @section Fetching a Group
1083 @cindex fetching a group
1085 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1086 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1087 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1088 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1089 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1090 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1096 @cindex subscription
1098 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1099 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1100 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1101 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1102 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1103 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1104 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1105 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1106 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1109 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1110 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
1111 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
1115 @node Checking New Groups
1116 @subsection Checking New Groups
1118 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1119 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1120 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1121 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1122 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1123 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1124 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1125 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1126 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1127 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1129 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1130 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1131 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1132 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1133 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1134 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1135 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1136 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1137 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1138 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1139 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1141 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1142 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1143 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1144 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1145 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1146 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1149 @node Subscription Methods
1150 @subsection Subscription Methods
1152 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1153 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1154 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1156 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1157 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1159 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1165 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1166 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1167 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1169 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1170 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1171 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1172 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1174 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1175 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1176 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1178 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1179 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1180 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1181 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1182 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1183 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1184 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1185 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1186 up. Or something like that.
1188 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1189 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1190 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1191 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1192 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1194 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1195 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1196 Kill all new groups.
1198 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1199 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1200 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1201 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1202 topic parameter that looks like
1208 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1211 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1216 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1217 A closely related variable is
1218 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1219 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1220 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1221 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1224 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1225 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1226 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1227 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1230 @node Filtering New Groups
1231 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1233 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1234 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1235 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1238 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1242 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1243 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1244 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1245 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1246 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1247 subscribing these groups.
1248 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1249 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1251 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1252 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1253 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1254 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1255 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1256 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1257 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1258 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1260 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1261 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1262 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1263 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1264 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1265 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1266 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1267 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1268 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1269 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1271 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1272 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1275 @node Changing Servers
1276 @section Changing Servers
1277 @cindex changing servers
1279 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1280 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1281 very flaky and you want to use another.
1283 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1284 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1288 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1289 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1290 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1291 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1294 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1295 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1296 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1297 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1299 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1300 @findex gnus-change-server
1301 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1302 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1303 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1304 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1305 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1307 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1308 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1309 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1310 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1311 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1313 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1314 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1315 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1316 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1317 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1318 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1320 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1321 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1322 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1326 @section Startup Files
1327 @cindex startup files
1332 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1333 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1335 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1336 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1337 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1338 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1339 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1340 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1341 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1343 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1344 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1345 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1346 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1347 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1348 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1350 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1351 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1352 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1353 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1354 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1355 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1356 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1357 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1358 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1359 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1361 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1362 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1363 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1364 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1365 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1366 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1367 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1368 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1369 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1370 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1371 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1372 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1374 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1375 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1376 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1377 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1379 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1380 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1381 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1382 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1383 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1384 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1385 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1386 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1387 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1388 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1391 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1392 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1394 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1395 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1398 @vindex gnus-init-file
1399 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1400 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1401 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1402 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1403 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1404 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1405 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1406 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1407 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1413 @cindex dribble file
1416 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1417 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1418 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1419 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1420 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1423 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1424 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1427 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1428 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1429 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1431 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1432 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1433 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1434 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1435 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1436 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1438 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1439 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1440 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1443 @node The Active File
1444 @section The Active File
1446 @cindex ignored groups
1448 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1449 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1450 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1452 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1453 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1454 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1455 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1456 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1457 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1458 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1461 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1462 @c if you set it to anything else.
1464 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1466 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1467 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1468 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1470 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1471 you actually subscribe to.
1473 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1474 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1475 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1476 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1478 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1479 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1480 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1481 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1482 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1483 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1485 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1486 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1487 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1489 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1490 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1491 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1492 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1493 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1494 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1496 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1497 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1499 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1500 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1502 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1503 secondary select methods.
1506 @node Startup Variables
1507 @section Startup Variables
1511 @item gnus-load-hook
1512 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1513 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1514 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1515 times you start gnus.
1517 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1518 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1519 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1521 @item gnus-startup-hook
1522 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1523 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1525 @item gnus-started-hook
1526 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1527 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1530 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1531 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1532 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1533 generating the group buffer.
1535 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1536 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1537 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1538 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1539 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1540 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1541 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1542 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1544 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1545 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1546 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1547 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1548 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1549 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1551 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1552 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1553 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1555 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1556 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1557 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1559 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1560 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1561 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1562 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1567 @node The Group Buffer
1568 @chapter The Group Buffer
1569 @cindex group buffer
1571 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1572 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1573 long as gnus is active.
1577 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1578 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1579 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1580 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1581 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1582 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1583 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1584 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1590 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1591 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1592 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1593 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1594 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1595 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1596 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1597 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1598 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1599 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1600 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1601 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1602 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1603 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1604 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1605 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1606 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1610 @node Group Buffer Format
1611 @section Group Buffer Format
1614 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1615 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1616 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1620 @node Group Line Specification
1621 @subsection Group Line Specification
1622 @cindex group buffer format
1624 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1625 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1627 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1630 25: news.announce.newusers
1631 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1636 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1637 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1638 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1639 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1641 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1642 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1643 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1644 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1645 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1646 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1648 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1650 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1651 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1652 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1653 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1656 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1657 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1658 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1660 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1665 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1668 Whether the group is subscribed.
1671 Level of subscribedness.
1674 Number of unread articles.
1677 Number of dormant articles.
1680 Number of ticked articles.
1683 Number of read articles.
1686 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1687 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1690 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1693 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1702 Newsgroup description.
1705 @samp{m} if moderated.
1708 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1717 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1721 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1724 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1725 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1726 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1727 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1728 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1731 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1733 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1737 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1741 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1742 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1743 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1744 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1745 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1746 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1751 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1752 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1753 group, or a bogus native group.
1756 @node Group Modeline Specification
1757 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1758 @cindex group modeline
1760 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1761 The mode line can be changed by setting
1762 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1763 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1767 The native news server.
1769 The native select method.
1773 @node Group Highlighting
1774 @subsection Group Highlighting
1775 @cindex highlighting
1776 @cindex group highlighting
1778 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1779 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1780 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1781 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1782 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1784 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1788 (cond (window-system
1789 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1790 (defface my-group-face-1
1791 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1792 (defface my-group-face-2
1793 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1794 (defface my-group-face-3
1795 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1796 (defface my-group-face-4
1797 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1798 (defface my-group-face-5
1799 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1801 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1802 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1803 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1804 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1805 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1806 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1809 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1811 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1818 The number of unread articles in the group.
1822 Whether the group is a mail group.
1824 The level of the group.
1826 The score of the group.
1828 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1830 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1831 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1833 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1834 topic being inserted.
1837 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1838 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1839 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1841 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1842 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1843 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1844 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1845 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1848 @node Group Maneuvering
1849 @section Group Maneuvering
1850 @cindex group movement
1852 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1853 expected, hopefully.
1859 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1860 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1861 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1867 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1868 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1869 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1873 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1874 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1878 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1879 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1883 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1884 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1885 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1889 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1890 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1891 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1894 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1900 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1901 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1902 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1907 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1908 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1909 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1913 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1914 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1915 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1918 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1919 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1920 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1921 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1925 @node Selecting a Group
1926 @section Selecting a Group
1927 @cindex group selection
1932 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1933 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1934 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1935 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1936 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1937 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1938 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1939 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1940 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1941 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1945 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1946 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1947 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1948 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1949 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1953 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1954 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1955 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1956 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1957 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1958 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1959 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1960 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1961 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1962 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1965 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1966 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1967 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1968 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1969 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1972 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1973 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1974 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1975 doing any processing of its contents
1976 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1977 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1978 manner will have no permanent effects.
1982 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1983 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1984 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1985 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1986 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1987 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1988 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1989 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1992 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1993 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1994 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1995 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2000 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2001 full summary buffer.
2004 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2007 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2012 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2013 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2014 Useful functions include:
2017 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2018 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2019 don't select the article.
2021 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2022 Select the first unread article.
2024 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2025 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2029 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2030 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2031 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2035 @node Subscription Commands
2036 @section Subscription Commands
2037 @cindex subscription
2045 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2046 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2047 Toggle subscription to the current group
2048 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2054 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2055 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2056 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2057 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2063 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2064 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2065 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2071 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2072 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2075 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2076 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2077 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2078 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2079 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2085 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2086 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2090 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2091 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2094 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2095 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2096 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2097 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2098 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2099 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2100 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2101 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2102 @file{.newsrc} file.
2106 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2116 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2117 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2118 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2119 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2120 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2121 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2126 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2127 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2128 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2132 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2133 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2134 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2136 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2137 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2138 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2139 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2140 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2141 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2148 @section Group Levels
2152 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2153 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2154 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2155 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2156 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2158 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2164 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2165 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2166 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2167 prompted for a level.
2170 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2171 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2172 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2173 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2174 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2175 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2176 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2177 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2178 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2179 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2180 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2181 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2182 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2183 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2184 reasons of efficiency.
2186 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2187 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2189 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2190 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2191 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2192 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2193 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2194 groups are hidden, in a way.
2196 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2197 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2198 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2199 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2200 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2201 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2203 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2204 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2205 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2206 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2207 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2208 list of killed groups.)
2210 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2211 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2212 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2214 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2215 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2216 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2217 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2218 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2219 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2220 relevant valid ranges.
2222 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2223 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2224 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2225 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2226 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2227 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2230 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2231 one with the best level.
2233 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2234 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2235 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2238 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2239 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2240 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2241 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2244 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2245 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2246 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2247 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2249 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2250 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2251 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2252 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2253 to 5. The default is 6.
2257 @section Group Score
2262 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2263 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2264 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2267 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2268 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2269 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2270 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2271 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2272 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2273 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2274 least significant part.))
2276 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2277 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2278 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2279 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2280 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2281 action after each summary exit, you can add
2282 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2283 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2284 slow things down somewhat.
2287 @node Marking Groups
2288 @section Marking Groups
2289 @cindex marking groups
2291 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2292 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2293 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2294 bidding on those groups.
2296 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2297 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2298 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2306 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2307 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2313 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2314 Remove the mark from the current group
2315 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2319 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2320 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2324 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2325 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2329 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2330 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2334 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2335 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2336 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2339 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2341 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2342 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2343 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2344 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2345 the command to be executed.
2348 @node Foreign Groups
2349 @section Foreign Groups
2350 @cindex foreign groups
2352 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2353 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2354 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2355 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2362 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2363 @cindex making groups
2364 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2365 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2366 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2370 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2371 @cindex renaming groups
2372 Rename the current group to something else
2373 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2374 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2380 @findex gnus-group-customize
2381 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2386 @cindex renaming groups
2387 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2388 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2392 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2393 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2394 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2399 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2400 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2404 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2406 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2407 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2413 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2417 @cindex (ding) archive
2418 @cindex archive group
2419 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2420 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2421 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2422 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2423 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2424 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2425 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2429 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2431 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2432 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2433 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2434 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2438 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2440 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2441 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2442 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2446 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2447 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2449 Make a group based on some file or other
2450 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2451 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2452 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2453 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2454 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2455 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2456 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2460 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2461 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2462 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2463 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2467 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2472 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2473 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2474 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2475 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2476 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2477 @xref{Web Searches}.
2479 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2480 to a particular group by using a match string like
2481 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2484 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2485 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2486 This function will delete the current group
2487 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2488 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2489 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2490 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2491 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2495 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2496 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2497 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2501 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2502 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2503 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2506 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2509 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2510 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2511 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2512 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2513 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2514 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2518 @node Group Parameters
2519 @section Group Parameters
2520 @cindex group parameters
2522 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2523 Here's an example group parameter list:
2526 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2530 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2531 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2532 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2533 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2535 The following group parameters can be used:
2540 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2543 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2546 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2547 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2548 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2549 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2550 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2552 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2553 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2554 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2555 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2556 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2557 list address instead.
2561 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2564 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2567 It is totally ignored
2568 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2569 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2571 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2572 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2573 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2574 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2575 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2577 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2578 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2579 sending the message.
2583 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2584 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2585 of whether it has any unread articles.
2587 @item broken-reply-to
2588 @cindex broken-reply-to
2589 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2590 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2591 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2592 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2593 broken behavior. So there!
2597 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2598 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2602 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2603 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2604 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2609 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2610 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2611 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2612 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2613 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2614 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2615 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2619 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2620 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2621 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2624 @cindex total-expire
2625 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2626 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2627 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2628 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2633 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2634 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2635 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2636 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2637 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2638 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2641 @cindex score file group parameter
2642 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2643 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2644 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2647 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2648 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2649 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2650 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2653 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2654 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2655 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2656 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2659 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2660 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2664 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2667 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2672 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2673 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2674 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2678 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2679 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2680 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2682 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2683 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2684 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2685 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2686 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2687 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2688 @code{eval}ed there.
2690 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2691 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2692 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2693 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2694 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2697 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2698 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2699 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2700 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2701 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2703 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2704 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2705 like this in the group parameters:
2710 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2715 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2716 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2720 @node Listing Groups
2721 @section Listing Groups
2722 @cindex group listing
2724 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2733 List all groups that have unread articles
2734 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2735 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2736 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2737 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2744 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2745 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2746 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2747 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2748 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2749 unsubscribed groups).
2753 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2754 List all unread groups on a specific level
2755 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2756 with no unread articles.
2760 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2761 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2762 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2763 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2768 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2769 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2773 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2774 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2775 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2779 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2780 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2784 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2785 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2786 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2787 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2788 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2789 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2790 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2791 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2795 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2796 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2797 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2801 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2802 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2803 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2807 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2808 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2812 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2813 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2817 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2818 List groups limited within the current selection
2819 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2823 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2824 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2828 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2829 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2833 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2834 @cindex visible group parameter
2835 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2836 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2837 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2838 get the same effect.
2840 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2841 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2842 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2843 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2844 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2847 @node Sorting Groups
2848 @section Sorting Groups
2849 @cindex sorting groups
2851 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2852 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2853 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2854 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2855 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2856 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2861 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2862 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2863 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2865 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2866 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2867 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2869 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2870 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2871 Sort by group level.
2873 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2874 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2875 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2877 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2878 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2879 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2880 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2883 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2884 Sort by number of unread articles.
2886 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2887 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2888 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2893 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2894 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2898 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2899 some sorting criteria:
2903 @kindex G S a (Group)
2904 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2905 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2906 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2909 @kindex G S u (Group)
2910 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2911 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2912 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2915 @kindex G S l (Group)
2916 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2917 Sort the group buffer by group level
2918 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2921 @kindex G S v (Group)
2922 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2923 Sort the group buffer by group score
2924 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2927 @kindex G S r (Group)
2928 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2929 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2930 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2933 @kindex G S m (Group)
2934 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2935 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2936 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2940 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2941 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2943 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2944 commands will sort in reverse order.
2946 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2950 @kindex G P a (Group)
2951 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2952 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2953 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2956 @kindex G P u (Group)
2957 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2958 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2959 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2962 @kindex G P l (Group)
2963 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2964 Sort the groups by group level
2965 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2968 @kindex G P v (Group)
2969 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2970 Sort the groups by group score
2971 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2974 @kindex G P r (Group)
2975 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2976 Sort the groups by group rank
2977 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2980 @kindex G P m (Group)
2981 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2982 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2983 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2989 @node Group Maintenance
2990 @section Group Maintenance
2991 @cindex bogus groups
2996 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2997 Find bogus groups and delete them
2998 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3002 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3003 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3004 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3005 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3006 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3010 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3011 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3012 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3013 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3016 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3017 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3018 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3019 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3024 @node Browse Foreign Server
3025 @section Browse Foreign Server
3026 @cindex foreign servers
3027 @cindex browsing servers
3032 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3033 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3034 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3035 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3038 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3039 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3040 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3041 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3043 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3048 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3049 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3054 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3057 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3058 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3059 Enter the current group and display the first article
3060 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3063 @kindex RET (Browse)
3064 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3065 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3069 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3070 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3071 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3077 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3078 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3082 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3083 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3084 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3089 @section Exiting gnus
3090 @cindex exiting gnus
3092 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3097 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3098 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3099 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3100 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3104 @findex gnus-group-exit
3105 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3106 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3110 @findex gnus-group-quit
3111 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3112 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3115 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3116 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3117 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3118 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3119 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3124 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3125 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3126 trying to customize meta-variables.
3131 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3132 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3133 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3139 @section Group Topics
3142 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3143 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3144 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3145 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3146 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3147 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3151 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3152 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3163 2: alt.religion.emacs
3166 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3168 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3169 13: comp.sources.unix
3172 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3174 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3175 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3176 is a toggling command.)
3178 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3179 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3180 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3181 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3184 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3185 the hook for the group mode:
3188 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3192 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3193 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3194 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3195 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3196 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3200 @node Topic Variables
3201 @subsection Topic Variables
3202 @cindex topic variables
3204 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3205 really neat, I think.
3207 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3208 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3209 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3222 Number of groups in the topic.
3224 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3226 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3229 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3230 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3231 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3234 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3235 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3237 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3238 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3239 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3242 @node Topic Commands
3243 @subsection Topic Commands
3244 @cindex topic commands
3246 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3247 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3248 definitions slightly.
3254 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3255 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3260 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3261 Move the current group to some other topic
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3263 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3267 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3268 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3272 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3273 Copy the current group to some other topic
3274 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3275 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3279 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3280 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3281 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3285 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3286 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3287 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3291 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3292 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3293 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3294 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3295 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3296 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3297 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3300 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3301 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3305 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3306 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3307 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3311 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3312 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3313 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3317 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3318 Toggle hiding empty topics
3319 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3323 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3324 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3325 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3328 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3329 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3330 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3331 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3335 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3337 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3338 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3339 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3340 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3343 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3344 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3345 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3346 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3350 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3352 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3353 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3354 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3355 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3356 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3357 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3360 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3361 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3362 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3363 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3367 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3368 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3369 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3373 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3374 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3375 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3380 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3381 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3384 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3385 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3386 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3390 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3391 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3392 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3396 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3397 @cindex group parameters
3398 @cindex topic parameters
3400 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3401 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3407 @subsection Topic Sorting
3408 @cindex topic sorting
3410 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3416 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3417 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3418 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3419 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3422 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3423 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3424 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3425 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3428 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3429 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3430 Sort the current topic by group level
3431 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3434 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3435 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3436 Sort the current topic by group score
3437 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3440 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3441 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3442 Sort the current topic by group rank
3443 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3446 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3447 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3448 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3449 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3453 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3456 @node Topic Topology
3457 @subsection Topic Topology
3458 @cindex topic topology
3461 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3467 2: alt.religion.emacs
3470 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3472 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3473 13: comp.sources.unix
3476 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3477 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3478 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3483 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3484 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3488 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3489 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3490 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3491 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3492 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3493 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3495 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3496 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3497 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3500 @node Topic Parameters
3501 @subsection Topic Parameters
3502 @cindex topic parameters
3504 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3505 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3506 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3508 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3513 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3514 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3515 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3520 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3521 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3522 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3523 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3529 2: alt.religion.emacs
3533 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3535 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3536 13: comp.sources.unix
3540 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3541 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3542 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3543 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3544 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3545 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3547 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3548 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3549 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3550 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3551 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3553 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3554 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3555 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3556 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3557 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3558 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3559 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3560 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3563 @node Misc Group Stuff
3564 @section Misc Group Stuff
3567 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3568 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3569 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3570 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3577 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3578 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3579 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3583 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3584 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3585 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3589 @findex gnus-group-mail
3590 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3594 Variables for the group buffer:
3598 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3599 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3600 is called after the group buffer has been
3603 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3604 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3605 is called after the group buffer is
3606 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3609 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3610 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3611 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3612 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3614 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3615 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3616 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3617 whether they are empty or not.
3619 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3620 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3621 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3622 non-ASCII group names.
3626 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3627 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3630 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3631 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3632 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3633 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3637 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3638 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3643 @node Scanning New Messages
3644 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3645 @cindex new messages
3646 @cindex scanning new news
3652 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3653 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3654 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3655 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3656 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3657 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3662 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3663 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3664 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3665 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3666 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3667 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3668 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3670 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3671 @cindex activating groups
3673 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3674 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3679 @findex gnus-group-restart
3680 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3681 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3682 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3686 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3689 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3690 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3694 @node Group Information
3695 @subsection Group Information
3696 @cindex group information
3697 @cindex information on groups
3704 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3705 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3708 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3709 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3710 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3711 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3712 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3713 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3714 for fetching the file.
3716 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3717 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3721 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3723 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3724 @cindex describing groups
3725 @cindex group description
3726 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3727 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3728 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3732 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3733 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3734 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3741 @findex gnus-version
3742 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3746 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3747 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3750 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3753 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3754 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3758 @node Group Timestamp
3759 @subsection Group Timestamp
3761 @cindex group timestamps
3763 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3764 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3765 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3768 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3771 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3773 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3774 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3777 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3778 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3781 This will result in lines looking like:
3784 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3785 0: custom 19961002T012713
3788 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3789 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3793 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3794 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3799 @subsection File Commands
3800 @cindex file commands
3806 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3807 @vindex gnus-init-file
3808 @cindex reading init file
3809 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3810 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3814 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3815 @cindex saving .newsrc
3816 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3817 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3818 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3821 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3822 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3823 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3828 @node The Summary Buffer
3829 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3830 @cindex summary buffer
3832 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3833 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3835 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3836 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3838 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3841 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3842 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3843 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3844 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3845 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3846 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3847 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3848 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3849 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3850 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3851 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3852 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3853 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3854 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3855 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3856 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3857 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3858 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3859 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3860 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3861 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3862 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3863 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3864 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3865 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3866 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3867 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3868 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3869 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3873 @node Summary Buffer Format
3874 @section Summary Buffer Format
3875 @cindex summary buffer format
3879 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3880 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3881 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3887 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3888 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3889 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3890 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3893 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3894 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3895 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3896 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3897 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3898 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3899 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3900 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3901 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3902 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3903 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3904 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3905 other function instead:
3908 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3909 'mail-extract-address-components)
3912 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3913 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3914 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3915 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3918 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3919 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3921 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3922 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3923 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3924 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3925 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3927 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3929 The following format specification characters are understood:
3935 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3936 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3938 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3939 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3940 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3942 Full @code{From} header.
3944 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3946 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3947 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3949 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3950 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3951 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3952 may be more thorough.
3954 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3957 Number of lines in the article.
3959 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3960 methods (like nnfolder).
3962 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3964 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3965 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3967 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3968 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3970 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3971 for adopted articles.
3973 One space for each thread level.
3975 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3980 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3981 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3985 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3987 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3988 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3989 default level. If the difference between
3990 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3991 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3999 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4001 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4007 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4008 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4010 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4011 article has any children.
4017 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4018 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4019 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4020 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4021 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4022 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4025 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4026 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4027 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4028 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4029 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4030 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4032 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4033 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4035 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4038 @node To From Newsgroups
4039 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4043 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4044 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4045 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4046 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4047 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4051 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4052 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4053 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4057 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4058 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4061 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4062 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4065 @findex gnus-extra-header
4066 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4067 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4068 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4071 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4075 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4076 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4077 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4078 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4079 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4080 headers are used instead.
4084 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4085 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4086 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4087 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4090 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4091 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4092 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4093 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4095 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4098 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4100 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4101 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4102 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4103 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4107 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4108 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4115 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4116 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4119 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4120 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4122 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4123 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4124 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4125 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4127 Here are the elements you can play with:
4133 Unprefixed group name.
4135 Current article number.
4137 Current article score.
4141 Number of unread articles in this group.
4143 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4146 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4147 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4148 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4149 and no unselected ones.
4151 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4152 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4154 Subject of the current article.
4156 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4158 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4160 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4162 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4164 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4166 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4170 @node Summary Highlighting
4171 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4175 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4176 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4177 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4178 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4179 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4181 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4182 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4183 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4184 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4186 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4187 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4188 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4189 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4191 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4192 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4193 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4194 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4195 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4196 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4199 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4200 ((> score default) . bold))
4202 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4203 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4207 @node Summary Maneuvering
4208 @section Summary Maneuvering
4209 @cindex summary movement
4211 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4212 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4214 None of these commands select articles.
4219 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4220 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4221 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4222 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4223 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4227 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4228 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4229 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4230 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4231 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4236 @kindex G j (Summary)
4237 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4238 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4239 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4242 @kindex G g (Summary)
4243 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4244 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4245 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4248 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4249 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4250 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4251 to the group buffer.
4253 Variables related to summary movement:
4257 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4258 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4259 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4260 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4261 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4262 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4263 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4264 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4265 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4266 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4267 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4268 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4269 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4270 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4272 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4273 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4274 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4275 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4276 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4277 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4278 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4280 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4282 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4283 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4284 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4285 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4286 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4288 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4289 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4290 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4291 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4292 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4293 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4294 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4295 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4298 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4299 the given number of lines from the top.
4304 @node Choosing Articles
4305 @section Choosing Articles
4306 @cindex selecting articles
4309 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4310 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4314 @node Choosing Commands
4315 @subsection Choosing Commands
4317 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4318 and they all select and display an article.
4322 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4323 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4324 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4325 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4330 @kindex G n (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4332 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4333 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4338 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4339 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4340 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4345 @kindex G N (Summary)
4346 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4347 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4352 @kindex G P (Summary)
4353 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4354 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4357 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4358 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4359 Go to the next article with the same subject
4360 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4363 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4364 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4365 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4366 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4370 @kindex G f (Summary)
4372 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4373 Go to the first unread article
4374 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4378 @kindex G b (Summary)
4380 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4381 Go to the article with the highest score
4382 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4387 @kindex G l (Summary)
4388 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4389 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4392 @kindex G o (Summary)
4393 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4395 @cindex article history
4396 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4397 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4398 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4399 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4400 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4401 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4405 @node Choosing Variables
4406 @subsection Choosing Variables
4408 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4411 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4412 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4413 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4414 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4415 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4416 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4418 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4419 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4420 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4421 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4423 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4424 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4425 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4426 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4427 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4428 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4429 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4430 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4431 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4432 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4433 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4434 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4435 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4436 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4441 @node Paging the Article
4442 @section Scrolling the Article
4443 @cindex article scrolling
4448 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4449 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4450 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4451 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4452 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4455 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4456 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4457 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4460 @kindex RET (Summary)
4461 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4462 Scroll the current article one line forward
4463 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4466 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4468 Scroll the current article one line backward
4469 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4473 @kindex A g (Summary)
4475 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4476 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4477 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4478 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4479 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4480 the way it came from the server.
4482 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4483 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4484 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4487 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4492 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4497 @kindex A < (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4499 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4500 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4505 @kindex A > (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4507 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4511 @kindex A s (Summary)
4513 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4514 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4515 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4519 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4520 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4525 @node Reply Followup and Post
4526 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4529 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4530 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4531 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4532 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4536 @node Summary Mail Commands
4537 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4539 @cindex composing mail
4541 Commands for composing a mail message:
4547 @kindex S r (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4550 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4551 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4552 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4553 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4558 @kindex S R (Summary)
4559 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4560 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4561 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4562 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4563 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4566 @kindex S w (Summary)
4567 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4568 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4569 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4570 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4571 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4574 @kindex S W (Summary)
4575 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4576 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4577 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4578 the process/prefix convention.
4582 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4583 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4584 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4585 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4586 Forward the current article to some other person
4587 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4588 headers of the forwarded article.
4593 @kindex S m (Summary)
4594 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4595 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4596 Send a mail to some other person
4597 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4600 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4601 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4602 @cindex bouncing mail
4603 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4604 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4605 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4606 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4607 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4608 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4609 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4610 very well fail, though.
4613 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4614 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4615 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4616 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4617 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4618 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4619 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4620 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4621 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4622 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4624 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4625 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4626 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4627 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4628 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4630 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4631 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4634 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4635 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4636 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4637 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4638 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4641 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4642 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4643 @cindex crossposting
4644 @cindex excessive crossposting
4645 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4646 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4648 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4649 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4650 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4651 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4652 command understands the process/prefix convention
4653 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4657 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4660 @node Summary Post Commands
4661 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4663 @cindex composing news
4665 Commands for posting a news article:
4671 @kindex S p (Summary)
4672 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4673 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4674 Post an article to the current group
4675 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4680 @kindex S f (Summary)
4681 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4682 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4683 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4687 @kindex S F (Summary)
4689 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4690 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4691 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4692 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4693 process/prefix convention.
4696 @kindex S n (Summary)
4697 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4698 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4699 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4702 @kindex S N (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4704 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4705 message through mail and include the original message
4706 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4707 the process/prefix convention.
4710 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4711 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4712 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4713 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4714 headers of the forwarded article.
4717 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4718 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4720 @cindex making digests
4721 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4722 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4723 process/prefix convention.
4726 @kindex S u (Summary)
4727 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4728 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4729 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4730 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4733 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4736 @node Summary Message Commands
4737 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4741 @kindex S y (Summary)
4742 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4743 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4744 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4745 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4746 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4751 @node Canceling and Superseding
4752 @subsection Canceling Articles
4753 @cindex canceling articles
4754 @cindex superseding articles
4756 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4757 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4759 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4761 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4763 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4764 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4765 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4766 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4767 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4768 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4770 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4771 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4774 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4775 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4776 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4778 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4779 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4780 your original article.
4782 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4784 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4785 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4786 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4789 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4790 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4791 have posted almost the same article twice.
4793 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4794 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4795 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4796 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4797 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4798 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4799 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4800 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4801 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4802 canceled/superseded.
4804 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4807 @node Marking Articles
4808 @section Marking Articles
4809 @cindex article marking
4810 @cindex article ticking
4813 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4815 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4816 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4817 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4819 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4822 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4823 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4824 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4828 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4832 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4833 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4834 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4838 @node Unread Articles
4839 @subsection Unread Articles
4841 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4846 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4847 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4849 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4850 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4851 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4852 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4853 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4857 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4858 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4860 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4861 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4862 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4865 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4866 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4868 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4873 @subsection Read Articles
4874 @cindex expirable mark
4876 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4881 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4882 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4883 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4886 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4887 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4890 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4891 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4892 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4895 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4896 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4899 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4900 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4903 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4904 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4907 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4908 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4911 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4912 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4915 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4916 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4919 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4920 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4924 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4925 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4926 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4930 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4931 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4933 One more special mark, though:
4937 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4938 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4940 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4941 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4942 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4943 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4949 @subsection Other Marks
4950 @cindex process mark
4953 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4959 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4960 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4961 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4962 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4963 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4966 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4967 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4968 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4969 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4972 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4973 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4974 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4977 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4978 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4979 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4980 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4983 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4984 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4985 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4986 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4987 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4990 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4991 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4992 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4993 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4994 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4995 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4999 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5000 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5001 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5003 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5004 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5005 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5009 @subsection Setting Marks
5010 @cindex setting marks
5012 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5017 @kindex M c (Summary)
5018 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5019 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5020 @cindex mark as unread
5021 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5022 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5028 @kindex M t (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5030 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5031 @xref{Article Caching}.
5036 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5037 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5038 Mark the current article as dormant
5039 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5043 @kindex M d (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5046 Mark the current article as read
5047 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5051 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5052 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5053 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5058 @kindex M k (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5060 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5061 and then select the next unread article
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5066 @kindex M K (Summary)
5067 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5068 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5069 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5070 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5073 @kindex M C (Summary)
5074 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5075 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5076 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5079 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5080 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5081 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5082 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5085 @kindex M H (Summary)
5086 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5087 Catchup the current group to point
5088 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5091 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5092 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5093 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5094 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5097 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5098 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5099 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5100 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5104 @kindex M e (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5107 Mark the current article as expirable
5108 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5111 @kindex M b (Summary)
5112 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5113 Set a bookmark in the current article
5114 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5117 @kindex M B (Summary)
5118 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5119 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5120 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5123 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5125 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5126 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5129 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5130 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5131 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5132 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5135 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5136 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5137 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5138 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5139 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5142 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5143 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5144 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5145 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5146 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5147 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5148 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5149 The default is @code{t}.
5152 @node Generic Marking Commands
5153 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5155 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5156 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5157 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5158 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5159 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5162 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5163 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5166 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5167 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5168 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5169 to list in this manual.
5171 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5172 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5173 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5174 article, you could say something like:
5177 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5178 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5179 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5185 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5186 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5190 @node Setting Process Marks
5191 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5192 @cindex setting process marks
5199 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5200 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5201 Mark the current article with the process mark
5202 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5203 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5207 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5208 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5209 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5210 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5213 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5215 Remove the process mark from all articles
5216 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5219 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5221 Invert the list of process marked articles
5222 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5225 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5226 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5227 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5228 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5231 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5232 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5233 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5234 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5237 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5238 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5239 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5242 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5243 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5244 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5245 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5248 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5249 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5250 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5251 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5254 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5255 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5256 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5257 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5260 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5261 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5262 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5265 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5266 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5267 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5268 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5271 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5273 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5276 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5277 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5278 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5279 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5282 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5284 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5285 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5288 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5290 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5294 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5296 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5297 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5301 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5302 set process marks based on article body contents.
5309 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5310 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5311 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5314 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5315 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5316 additional articles.
5322 @kindex / / (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5324 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5328 @kindex / a (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5330 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5334 @kindex / x (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5336 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5337 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5342 @kindex / u (Summary)
5344 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5345 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5346 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5347 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5348 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5351 @kindex / m (Summary)
5352 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5353 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5354 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5357 @kindex / t (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5359 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5360 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5361 articles younger than that number of days.
5364 @kindex / n (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5366 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5367 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5368 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5371 @kindex / w (Summary)
5372 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5373 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5374 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5378 @kindex / v (Summary)
5379 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5380 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5381 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5385 @kindex M S (Summary)
5386 @kindex / E (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5388 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5389 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5392 @kindex / D (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5394 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5395 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5398 @kindex / * (Summary)
5399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5400 Include all cached articles in the limit
5401 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5404 @kindex / d (Summary)
5405 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5406 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5407 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5410 @kindex / M (Summary)
5411 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5412 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5415 @kindex / T (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5417 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5420 @kindex / c (Summary)
5421 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5422 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5423 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5426 @kindex / C (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5428 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5429 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5430 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5438 @cindex article threading
5440 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5441 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5442 hierarchical fashion.
5444 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5445 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5446 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5447 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5448 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5449 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5450 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5452 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5456 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5459 A tree-like article structure.
5462 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5465 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5466 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5467 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5468 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5469 called loose threads.
5471 @item thread gathering
5472 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5474 @item sparse threads
5475 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5476 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5482 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5483 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5487 @node Customizing Threading
5488 @subsection Customizing Threading
5489 @cindex customizing threading
5492 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5493 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5494 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5495 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5500 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5503 @cindex loose threads
5506 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5507 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5508 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5509 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5510 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5511 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5513 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5514 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5515 There are four possible values:
5519 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5520 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5521 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5522 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5523 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5528 @cindex adopting articles
5533 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5534 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5535 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5536 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5539 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5540 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5541 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5542 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5543 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5544 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5545 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5548 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5549 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5550 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5554 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5555 display them after one another.
5558 Don't gather loose threads.
5561 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5562 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5563 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5564 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5565 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5566 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5567 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5568 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5569 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5570 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5571 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5573 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5574 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5575 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5578 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5579 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5580 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5581 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5582 simplification is used.
5584 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5585 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5586 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5587 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5589 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5591 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5597 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5598 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5599 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5600 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5605 (mapconcat 'identity
5606 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5608 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5611 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5614 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5615 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5616 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5617 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5618 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5619 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5621 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5624 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5625 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5626 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5628 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5629 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5632 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5633 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5634 Remove excessive whitespace.
5637 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5640 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5641 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5642 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5643 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5644 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5645 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5646 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5647 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5649 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5650 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5651 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5652 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5653 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5654 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5655 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5656 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5657 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5661 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5662 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5663 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5664 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5666 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5667 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5668 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5671 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5675 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5676 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5682 @node Filling In Threads
5683 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5686 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5687 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5688 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5689 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5690 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5691 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5692 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5693 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5694 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5695 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5696 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5697 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5699 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5700 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5701 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5703 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5704 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5705 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5706 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5707 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5708 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5709 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5710 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5711 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5712 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5713 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5714 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5715 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5716 @code{nil} by default.
5721 @node More Threading
5722 @subsubsection More Threading
5725 @item gnus-show-threads
5726 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5727 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5728 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5729 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5730 slower and more awkward.
5732 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5733 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5734 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5737 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5738 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5739 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5740 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5741 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5742 threads are expunged.
5744 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5745 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5746 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5749 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5750 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5751 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5752 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5753 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5756 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5757 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5758 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5761 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5762 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5763 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5764 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5765 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5766 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5767 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5768 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5769 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5770 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5771 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5776 @node Low-Level Threading
5777 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5781 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5782 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5783 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5784 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5785 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5786 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5788 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5789 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5790 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5791 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5792 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5793 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5794 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5795 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5796 meaningful. Here's one example:
5799 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5801 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5802 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5804 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5806 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5813 @node Thread Commands
5814 @subsection Thread Commands
5815 @cindex thread commands
5821 @kindex T k (Summary)
5822 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5824 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5825 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5826 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5831 @kindex T l (Summary)
5832 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5834 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5838 @kindex T i (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5840 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5841 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5844 @kindex T # (Summary)
5845 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5846 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5847 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5850 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5852 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5853 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5856 @kindex T T (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5858 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5861 @kindex T s (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5863 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5864 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5867 @kindex T h (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5869 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5872 @kindex T S (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5874 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5877 @kindex T H (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5879 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5882 @kindex T t (Summary)
5883 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5884 Re-thread the current article's thread
5885 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5886 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5889 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5891 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5892 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5896 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5897 understand the numeric prefix.
5902 @kindex T n (Summary)
5904 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5906 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5907 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5908 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5911 @kindex T p (Summary)
5913 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5915 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5916 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5917 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5920 @kindex T d (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5922 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5925 @kindex T u (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5927 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5930 @kindex T o (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5932 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5935 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5936 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5937 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5938 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5939 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5940 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5941 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5942 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5943 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5944 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5945 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5946 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5953 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5954 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5955 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5956 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5957 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5958 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5959 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5960 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5961 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5962 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5963 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5965 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5966 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5967 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5968 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5969 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5971 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5972 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5973 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5975 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5976 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5977 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5978 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5979 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5980 ascending article order.
5982 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5983 by number, you could do something like:
5986 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5987 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5988 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5989 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5992 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5993 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5994 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5995 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5996 which the articles arrived.
5998 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6002 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6004 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6005 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6008 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6009 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6010 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6011 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6014 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6015 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6016 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6017 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6018 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6019 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6020 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6021 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6022 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6023 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6024 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6025 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6026 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6028 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6032 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6033 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6034 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6039 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6040 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6041 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6042 @cindex article pre-fetch
6045 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6046 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6047 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6048 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6049 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6051 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6052 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6054 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6055 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6056 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6057 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6058 connection is blocked.
6060 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6061 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6062 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6063 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6065 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6066 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6067 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6068 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6071 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6074 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6075 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6076 happen automatically.
6078 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6079 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6080 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6081 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6082 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6083 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6084 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6086 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6087 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6088 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6089 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6090 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6091 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6092 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6093 data structure as the only parameter.
6095 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6098 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6099 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6100 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6101 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6104 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6107 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6108 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6109 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6111 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6112 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6113 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6114 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6118 Remove articles when they are read.
6121 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6124 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6126 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6127 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6128 @c from the next group.
6131 @node Article Caching
6132 @section Article Caching
6133 @cindex article caching
6136 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6137 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6138 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6139 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6140 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6142 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6144 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6145 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6146 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6147 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6148 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6149 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6150 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6151 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6153 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6154 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6155 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6156 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6157 as dormant, and don't worry.
6159 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6161 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6162 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6163 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6164 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6165 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6166 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6167 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6168 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6169 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6170 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6172 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6173 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6174 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6175 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6176 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6177 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6178 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6179 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6180 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6181 not then be downloaded by this command.
6183 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6184 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6185 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6186 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6187 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6188 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6190 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6191 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6192 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6193 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6194 variables, the group is not cached.
6196 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6197 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6198 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6199 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6200 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6201 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6202 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6203 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6204 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6208 @node Persistent Articles
6209 @section Persistent Articles
6210 @cindex persistent articles
6212 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6213 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6214 useful in my opinion.
6216 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6217 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6218 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6219 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6220 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6221 the expiry going on at the news server.
6223 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6224 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6225 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6231 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6232 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6235 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6237 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6238 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6242 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6244 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6245 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6246 interested in persistent articles:
6249 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6253 @node Article Backlog
6254 @section Article Backlog
6256 @cindex article backlog
6258 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6259 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6260 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6261 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6262 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6263 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6264 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6265 increase memory usage some.
6267 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6268 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6269 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6270 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6271 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6272 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6273 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6275 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6278 @node Saving Articles
6279 @section Saving Articles
6280 @cindex saving articles
6282 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6283 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6284 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6285 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6286 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6288 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6289 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6290 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6292 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6293 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6294 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6295 deleted before saving.
6301 @kindex O o (Summary)
6303 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6304 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6305 Save the current article using the default article saver
6306 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6309 @kindex O m (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6311 Save the current article in mail format
6312 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6315 @kindex O r (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6317 Save the current article in rmail format
6318 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6321 @kindex O f (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6323 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6324 Save the current article in plain file format
6325 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6328 @kindex O F (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6330 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6331 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6334 @kindex O b (Summary)
6335 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6336 Save the current article body in plain file format
6337 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6340 @kindex O h (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6342 Save the current article in mh folder format
6343 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6346 @kindex O v (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6348 Save the current article in a VM folder
6349 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6352 @kindex O p (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6354 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6355 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6358 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6359 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6360 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6361 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6362 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6363 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6364 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6365 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6366 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6367 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6368 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6369 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6373 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6374 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6375 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6376 functions below, or you can create your own.
6380 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6381 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6382 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6383 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6384 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6385 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6386 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6388 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6389 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6390 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6391 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6392 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6393 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6395 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6396 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6397 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6398 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6399 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6400 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6401 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6403 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6404 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6405 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6406 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6407 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6409 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6410 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6411 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6412 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6413 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6416 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6417 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6418 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6419 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6420 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6422 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6423 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6424 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6425 reader to use this setting.
6428 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6429 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6430 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6431 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6434 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6435 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6436 available functions that generate names:
6440 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6441 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6442 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6444 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6445 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6446 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6448 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6449 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6450 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6452 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6453 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6454 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6457 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6458 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6459 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6460 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6461 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6465 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6466 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6467 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6468 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6471 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6472 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6473 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6474 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6475 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6476 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6477 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6478 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6479 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6481 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6482 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6483 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6484 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6486 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6487 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6488 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6491 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6492 lots of mail groups called things like
6493 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6494 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6495 following will do just that:
6498 (defun my-save-name (group)
6499 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6500 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6502 (setq gnus-split-methods
6503 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6508 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6509 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6510 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6511 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6512 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6513 all the files in the top level directory
6514 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6515 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6516 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6517 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6519 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6520 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6521 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6522 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6523 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6526 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6530 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6531 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6534 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6535 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6536 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6537 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6540 @node Decoding Articles
6541 @section Decoding Articles
6542 @cindex decoding articles
6544 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6545 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6548 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6549 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6550 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6551 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6552 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6553 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6557 @cindex article series
6558 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6559 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6560 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6561 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6562 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6564 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6565 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6566 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6568 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6569 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6570 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6572 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6573 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6574 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6577 @node Uuencoded Articles
6578 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6580 @cindex uuencoded articles
6585 @kindex X u (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6587 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6588 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6591 @kindex X U (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6593 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6594 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6597 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6598 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6599 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6602 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6604 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6605 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6609 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6610 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6611 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6612 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6613 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6615 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6616 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6617 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6618 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6621 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6622 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6623 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6624 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6625 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6626 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6630 @node Shell Archives
6631 @subsection Shell Archives
6633 @cindex shell archives
6634 @cindex shared articles
6636 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6637 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6638 some commands to deal with these:
6643 @kindex X s (Summary)
6644 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6645 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6648 @kindex X S (Summary)
6649 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6650 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6653 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6655 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6658 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6659 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6660 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6661 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6665 @node PostScript Files
6666 @subsection PostScript Files
6672 @kindex X p (Summary)
6673 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6674 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6677 @kindex X P (Summary)
6678 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6679 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6680 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6683 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6684 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6685 View the current PostScript series
6686 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6689 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6690 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6691 View and save the current PostScript series
6692 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6697 @subsection Other Files
6701 @kindex X o (Summary)
6702 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6703 Save the current series
6704 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6707 @kindex X b (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6709 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6710 doesn't really work yet.
6714 @node Decoding Variables
6715 @subsection Decoding Variables
6717 Adjective, not verb.
6720 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6721 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6722 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6726 @node Rule Variables
6727 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6728 @cindex rule variables
6730 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6731 variables are of the form
6734 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6741 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6742 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6744 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6745 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6748 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6749 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6752 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6753 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6754 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6755 user and default view rules.
6757 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6758 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6759 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6764 @node Other Decode Variables
6765 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6768 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6770 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6771 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6772 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6773 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6774 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6778 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6779 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6782 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6783 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6784 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6787 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6788 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6789 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6790 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6791 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6794 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6795 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6796 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6798 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6799 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6800 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6801 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6802 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6805 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6806 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6807 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6809 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6810 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6811 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6812 looking for files to display.
6814 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6815 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6816 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6819 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6820 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6821 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6824 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6825 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6826 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6829 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6830 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6831 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6834 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6835 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6836 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6837 decoded articles as unread.
6839 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6840 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6841 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6842 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6844 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6845 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6846 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6848 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6849 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6851 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6852 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6853 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6854 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6856 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6857 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6858 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6859 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6860 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6861 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6862 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6863 simply dropped them.
6868 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6869 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6873 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6874 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6875 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6876 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6877 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6878 for you when you post the article.
6880 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6881 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6882 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6883 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6885 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6886 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6887 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6888 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6889 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6890 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6891 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6893 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6894 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6895 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6896 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6897 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6898 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6899 Default is @code{t}.
6905 @subsection Viewing Files
6906 @cindex viewing files
6907 @cindex pseudo-articles
6909 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6910 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6911 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6912 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6913 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6914 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6915 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6917 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6918 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6919 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6920 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6922 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6923 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6924 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6926 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6927 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6928 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6929 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6930 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6932 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6933 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6934 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6935 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6936 a list of parameters to that command.
6938 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6939 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6940 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6942 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6943 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6944 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6947 @node Article Treatment
6948 @section Article Treatment
6950 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6951 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6952 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6953 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6954 these articles easier.
6957 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6958 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6959 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6960 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6961 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6962 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6963 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6964 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6968 @node Article Highlighting
6969 @subsection Article Highlighting
6970 @cindex highlighting
6972 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6973 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6978 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6979 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6980 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6981 Do much highlighting of the current article
6982 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6983 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6986 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6988 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6989 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6990 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6991 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6992 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6993 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6994 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6995 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6996 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6997 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7000 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7001 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7002 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7004 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7007 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7009 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7010 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7011 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7013 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7014 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7015 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7017 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7018 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7019 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7020 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7021 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7022 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7024 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7025 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7026 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7028 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7029 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7030 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7032 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7033 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7034 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7035 that it's a citation.
7037 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7038 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7039 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7041 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7042 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7043 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7045 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7046 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7047 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7048 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7054 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7055 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7056 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7057 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7058 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7059 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7060 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7061 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7066 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7069 @node Article Fontisizing
7070 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7072 @cindex article emphasis
7074 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7075 @kindex W e (Summary)
7076 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7077 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7078 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7079 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7081 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7082 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7083 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7084 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7085 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7086 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7087 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7088 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7092 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7093 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7094 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7103 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7104 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7105 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7106 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7107 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7108 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7109 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7110 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7111 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7112 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7113 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7114 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7115 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7117 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7118 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7119 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7123 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7126 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7128 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7129 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7130 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7131 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7133 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7136 @node Article Hiding
7137 @subsection Article Hiding
7138 @cindex article hiding
7140 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7141 too much cruft in most articles.
7146 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7147 @findex gnus-article-hide
7148 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7149 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7150 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7153 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7154 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7155 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7159 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7160 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7161 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7162 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7165 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7166 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7167 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7171 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7172 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7173 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7174 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7175 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7176 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7177 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7178 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7182 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7183 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7184 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7185 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7190 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7191 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7192 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7193 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7194 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7195 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7196 articles that have signatures in them do:
7198 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7200 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7202 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7203 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7205 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7208 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7213 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7214 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7215 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7216 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7219 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7220 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7223 @cindex stripping advertisments
7224 @cindex advertisments
7225 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7226 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7227 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7228 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7229 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7230 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7231 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7232 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7233 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7234 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7238 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7239 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7240 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7241 customizing the hiding:
7245 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7246 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7247 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7248 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7249 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7250 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7251 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7256 Starting point of the hidden text.
7258 Ending point of the hidden text.
7260 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7262 Number of lines of hidden text.
7265 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7266 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7267 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7268 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7269 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7274 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7277 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7278 following two variables:
7281 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7282 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7283 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7284 50), hide the cited text.
7286 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7287 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7288 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7293 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7294 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7295 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7296 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7297 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7298 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7302 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7303 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7304 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7306 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7307 citation customization.
7309 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7313 @node Article Washing
7314 @subsection Article Washing
7316 @cindex article washing
7318 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7319 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7321 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7322 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7328 @kindex W l (Summary)
7329 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7330 Remove page breaks from the current article
7331 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7335 @kindex W r (Summary)
7336 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7337 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7338 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7339 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7340 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7341 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7343 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7344 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7345 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7346 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7350 @kindex W t (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7353 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7354 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7357 @kindex W v (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7359 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7360 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7363 @kindex W m (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7365 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7369 @kindex W o (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7371 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7374 @kindex W d (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7376 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7378 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7380 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7381 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7382 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7383 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7387 @kindex W w (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7389 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7391 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7395 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7396 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7397 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7400 @kindex W C (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7402 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7403 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7406 @kindex W c (Summary)
7407 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7408 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7409 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7410 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7411 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7414 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7415 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7416 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7417 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7418 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7419 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7420 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7424 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7426 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7427 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7428 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7431 @kindex W h (Summary)
7432 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7433 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7434 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7435 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7439 @kindex W f (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7442 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7443 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7444 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7450 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7451 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7452 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7453 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7454 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7455 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7456 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7457 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7458 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7459 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7460 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7461 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7462 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7463 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7464 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7465 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7466 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7467 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7468 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7469 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7473 @kindex W b (Summary)
7474 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7475 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7476 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7479 @kindex W B (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7481 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7482 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7485 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7487 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7488 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7491 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7492 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7493 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7494 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7497 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7498 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7499 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7500 lines with a single empty line.
7501 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7504 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7505 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7506 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7507 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7510 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7512 Do all the three commands above
7513 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7516 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7517 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7518 Remove all blank lines
7519 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7522 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7523 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7524 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7525 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7528 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7530 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7531 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7535 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7538 @node Article Buttons
7539 @subsection Article Buttons
7542 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7543 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7544 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7545 button on these references.
7547 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7548 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7549 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7554 @item gnus-button-alist
7555 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7556 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7559 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7565 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7566 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7567 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7570 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7571 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7572 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7575 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7576 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7577 avoid false matches.
7580 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7583 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7584 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7588 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7591 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7594 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7595 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7596 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7597 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7598 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7601 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7604 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7606 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7607 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7608 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7609 default values of the variables above.
7611 @item gnus-article-button-face
7612 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7613 Face used on buttons.
7615 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7616 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7617 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7621 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7625 @subsection Article Date
7627 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7628 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7629 when the article was sent.
7634 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7635 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7636 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7637 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7640 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7641 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7643 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7644 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7647 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7649 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7652 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7653 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7654 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7655 @findex format-time-string
7656 Display the date using a user-defined format
7657 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7658 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7659 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7660 for a list of possible format specs.
7663 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7664 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7665 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7666 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7667 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7668 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7671 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7674 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7675 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7678 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7679 into wonderful absurdities.
7681 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7684 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7687 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7688 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7692 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7693 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7694 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7695 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7696 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7697 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7698 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7702 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7703 preferred format automatically.
7706 @node Article Signature
7707 @subsection Article Signature
7709 @cindex article signature
7711 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7712 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7713 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7714 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7715 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7716 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7717 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7718 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7719 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7722 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7723 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7724 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7725 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7726 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7727 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7728 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7729 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7732 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7735 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7736 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7737 signature when displaying articles.
7741 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7744 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7747 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7748 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7750 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7751 in question is not a signature.
7754 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7755 listed above. Here's an example:
7758 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7759 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7762 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7763 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7764 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7765 signature after all.
7768 @node Article Miscellania
7769 @subsection Article Miscellania
7773 @kindex A t (Summary)
7774 @findex gnus-article-babel
7775 Translate the article from one language to another
7776 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7782 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7783 @cindex MIME decoding
7785 @cindex viewing attachments
7787 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7788 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7794 @kindex K v (Summary)
7795 View the @sc{mime} part.
7798 @kindex K o (Summary)
7799 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7802 @kindex K c (Summary)
7803 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7806 @kindex K e (Summary)
7807 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7810 @kindex K i (Summary)
7811 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7814 @kindex K | (Summary)
7815 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7818 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7823 @kindex K b (Summary)
7824 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7825 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7829 @kindex K m (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7831 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7832 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7833 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7834 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7837 @kindex X m (Summary)
7838 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7839 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7840 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7841 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7844 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7845 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7846 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7847 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7850 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7851 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7852 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7855 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7856 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7857 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7859 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7860 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7861 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7862 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7863 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7864 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7867 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7868 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7869 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7876 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7877 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7878 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7879 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7882 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7885 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7889 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7890 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7891 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7892 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7893 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7895 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7896 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7897 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7898 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7899 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7900 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7901 save all jpegs into some directory).
7903 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7906 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7907 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7909 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7910 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7911 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7912 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7913 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7916 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7917 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7918 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7927 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7928 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7929 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7930 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7931 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7932 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7933 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7935 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7936 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7937 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7938 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7940 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7941 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7942 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7943 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7944 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7945 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7946 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7947 something some agents insist on having in there.
7949 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7950 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7951 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7952 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7953 quoted-printable header encoding.
7955 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7956 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7957 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7961 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7964 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7965 means encode all charsets),
7967 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7968 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7969 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7976 @cindex coding system aliases
7977 @cindex preferred charset
7979 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7981 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7982 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7985 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7986 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7989 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7990 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7992 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7995 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7998 This will almost do the right thing.
8000 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8004 (codepage-setup 1251)
8005 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8009 @node Article Commands
8010 @section Article Commands
8017 @kindex A P (Summary)
8018 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8019 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8020 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8021 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8022 run just before printing the buffer.
8027 @node Summary Sorting
8028 @section Summary Sorting
8029 @cindex summary sorting
8031 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8032 can't really see why you'd want that.
8037 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8038 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8039 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8042 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8043 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8044 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8047 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8048 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8049 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8052 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8053 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8054 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8057 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8058 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8059 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8062 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8064 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8067 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8069 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8072 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8073 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8074 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8075 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8076 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8080 @node Finding the Parent
8081 @section Finding the Parent
8082 @cindex parent articles
8083 @cindex referring articles
8088 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8089 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8090 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8091 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8092 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8093 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8094 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8095 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8096 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8098 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8099 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8100 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8101 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8102 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8106 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8107 @kindex A R (Summary)
8108 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8109 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8112 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8113 @kindex A T (Summary)
8114 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8115 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8116 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8117 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8118 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8119 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8120 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8122 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8123 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8124 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8125 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8126 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8127 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8130 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8131 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8133 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8134 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8135 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8136 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8137 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8138 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8139 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8142 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8143 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8144 by giving this command a prefix.
8146 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8147 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8148 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8149 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8150 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8151 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8154 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8155 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8156 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8159 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8160 then ask Deja if that fails:
8163 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8165 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8168 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8169 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8170 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8171 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8172 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8173 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8176 @node Alternative Approaches
8177 @section Alternative Approaches
8179 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8180 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8183 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8184 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8189 @subsection Pick and Read
8190 @cindex pick and read
8192 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8193 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8194 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8195 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8197 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8198 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8199 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8200 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8201 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8202 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8204 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8209 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8210 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8211 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8212 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8213 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8214 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8215 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8216 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8219 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8220 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8221 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8222 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8226 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8227 Unpick the thread or article
8228 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8229 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8230 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8231 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8232 the thread or article at that line.
8236 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8237 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8238 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8239 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8240 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8241 will still be visible when you are reading.
8245 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8246 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8247 which is mapped to the same function
8248 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8250 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8253 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8256 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8257 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8259 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8260 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8261 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8263 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8264 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8265 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8266 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8267 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8268 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8269 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8273 @subsection Binary Groups
8274 @cindex binary groups
8276 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8277 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8278 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8279 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8280 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8281 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8282 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8285 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8286 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8287 command, when you have turned on this mode
8288 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8290 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8291 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8295 @section Tree Display
8298 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8299 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8300 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8301 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8304 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8307 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8308 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8309 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8311 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8312 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8313 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8314 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8315 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8317 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8318 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8319 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8320 default is @code{modeline}.
8322 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8323 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8324 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8325 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8326 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8327 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8328 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8334 The name of the poster.
8336 The @code{From} header.
8338 The number of the article.
8340 The opening bracket.
8342 The closing bracket.
8347 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8349 Variables related to the display are:
8352 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8353 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8354 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8355 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8356 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8357 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8359 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8360 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8361 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8362 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8366 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8367 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8368 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8369 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8370 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8371 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8372 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8373 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8374 other windows displayed next to it.
8376 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8377 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8378 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8379 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8380 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8381 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8382 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8386 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8389 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8399 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8403 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8404 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8406 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8408 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8413 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8414 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8415 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8418 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8419 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8420 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8421 (gnus-add-configuration
8425 (summary 0.75 point)
8430 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8433 @node Mail Group Commands
8434 @section Mail Group Commands
8435 @cindex mail group commands
8437 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8438 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8440 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8441 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8446 @kindex B e (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8448 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8449 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8452 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8453 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8454 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8455 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8456 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8457 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8460 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8461 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8462 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8463 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8464 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8465 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8468 @kindex B m (Summary)
8470 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8471 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8472 Move the article from one mail group to another
8473 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8474 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8477 @kindex B c (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8480 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8481 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8482 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8483 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8486 @kindex B B (Summary)
8487 @cindex crosspost mail
8488 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8489 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8490 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8491 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8492 be properly updated.
8495 @kindex B i (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8497 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8498 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8499 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8502 @kindex B r (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8504 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8505 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8506 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8507 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8508 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8509 (which is the default).
8513 @kindex B w (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8516 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8517 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8518 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8519 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8520 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8523 @kindex B q (Summary)
8524 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8525 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8526 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8527 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8530 @kindex B t (Summary)
8531 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8532 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8533 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8536 @kindex B p (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8538 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8539 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8540 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8541 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8542 article from your news server (or rather, from
8543 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8544 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8545 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8546 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8547 just not have arrived yet.
8551 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8552 @cindex moving articles
8553 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8554 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8555 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8556 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8557 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8558 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8559 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8562 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8563 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8564 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8565 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8569 @node Various Summary Stuff
8570 @section Various Summary Stuff
8573 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8574 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8575 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8576 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8580 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8581 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8582 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8584 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8585 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8586 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8587 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8588 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8589 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8592 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8593 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8594 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8595 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8596 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8598 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8599 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8600 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8603 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8604 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8605 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8606 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8607 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8608 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8609 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8610 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8611 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8612 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8614 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8615 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8616 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8617 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8618 list of articles to be selected.
8620 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8621 the list in one particular group:
8624 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8625 (if (string= group "some.group")
8626 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8633 @node Summary Group Information
8634 @subsection Summary Group Information
8639 @kindex H f (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8641 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8642 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8643 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8644 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8645 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8646 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8647 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8648 be used for fetching the file.
8651 @kindex H d (Summary)
8652 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8653 Give a brief description of the current group
8654 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8655 rereading the description from the server.
8658 @kindex H h (Summary)
8659 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8660 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8661 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8664 @kindex H i (Summary)
8665 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8666 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8670 @node Searching for Articles
8671 @subsection Searching for Articles
8676 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8677 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8678 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8679 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8682 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8684 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8685 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8689 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8690 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8691 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8692 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8693 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8694 search backward instead.
8696 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8697 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8700 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8701 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8702 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8703 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8706 @node Summary Generation Commands
8707 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8712 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8713 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8714 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8717 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8718 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8719 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8720 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8725 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8726 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8732 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8733 @kindex A D (Summary)
8734 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8735 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8736 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8737 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8738 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8739 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8740 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8741 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8745 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8746 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8747 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8748 several documents into one biiig group
8749 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8750 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8751 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8752 command understands the process/prefix convention
8753 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8756 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8758 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8759 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8760 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8761 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8765 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8766 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8767 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8770 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8771 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8772 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8773 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8776 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8778 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8779 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8784 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8785 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8786 @cindex summary exit
8787 @cindex exiting groups
8789 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8790 group and return you to the group buffer.
8796 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8798 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8799 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8800 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8801 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8802 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8803 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8804 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8805 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8806 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8807 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8808 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8812 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8815 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8816 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8820 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8822 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8823 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8824 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8825 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8828 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8829 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8830 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8831 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8834 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8835 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8836 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8837 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8840 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8841 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8842 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8843 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8844 all articles, both read and unread.
8848 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8849 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8850 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8851 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8852 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8853 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8854 articles, both read and unread.
8857 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8858 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8859 Exit the group and go to the next group
8860 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8863 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8864 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8865 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8866 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8869 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8871 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8872 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8873 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8874 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8877 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8878 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8879 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8880 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8882 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8883 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8884 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8885 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8886 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8887 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8888 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8889 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8890 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8891 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8892 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8893 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8895 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8897 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8898 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8899 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8900 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8901 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8902 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8903 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8904 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8905 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8908 @node Crosspost Handling
8909 @section Crosspost Handling
8913 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8914 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8915 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8916 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8917 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8918 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8921 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8922 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8923 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8924 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8925 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8927 @cindex cross-posting
8930 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8931 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8932 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8933 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8934 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8935 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8936 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8937 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8938 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8939 the cross reference mechanism.
8941 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8942 @cindex overview.fmt
8943 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8944 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8945 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8946 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8947 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8948 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8951 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8952 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8953 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8958 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8961 @node Duplicate Suppression
8962 @section Duplicate Suppression
8964 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8965 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8966 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8967 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8972 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8973 is evil and not very common.
8976 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8977 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8980 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8981 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8984 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8987 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8988 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8990 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8991 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8992 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8993 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8994 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8995 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8996 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8999 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9000 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9001 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9002 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9003 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9007 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9008 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9009 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9011 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9012 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9013 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9014 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9015 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9016 session are suppressed.
9018 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9019 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9020 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9021 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9023 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9024 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9025 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9026 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9029 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9030 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9031 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9032 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9033 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9034 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9035 to you to figure out, I think.
9040 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9045 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9051 @item mm-verify-option
9052 @vindex mm-verify-option
9053 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9054 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9055 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9057 @item mm-decrypt-option
9058 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9059 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9060 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9061 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9065 @node The Article Buffer
9066 @chapter The Article Buffer
9067 @cindex article buffer
9069 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9070 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9071 tell gnus otherwise.
9074 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9075 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9076 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9077 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9078 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9082 @node Hiding Headers
9083 @section Hiding Headers
9084 @cindex hiding headers
9085 @cindex deleting headers
9087 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9088 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9090 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9091 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9092 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9093 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9094 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9095 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9096 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9097 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9098 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9100 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9104 @item gnus-visible-headers
9105 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9106 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9107 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9108 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9110 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9111 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9114 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9117 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9120 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9121 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9122 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9123 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9124 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9125 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9127 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9128 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9131 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9134 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9137 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9138 variable will have no effect.
9142 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9143 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9144 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9145 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9146 the headers are to be displayed.
9148 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9149 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9152 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9155 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9156 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9158 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9159 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9160 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9161 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9162 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9163 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9164 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9167 These conditions are:
9170 Remove all empty headers.
9172 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9173 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9175 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9178 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9181 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9184 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9186 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9189 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9192 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9193 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9196 This is also the default value for this variable.
9200 @section Using @sc{mime}
9203 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9204 while people stand around yawning.
9206 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9207 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9209 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9210 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9211 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9213 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9214 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9215 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9216 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9217 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9218 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9219 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9220 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9221 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9222 existed yet, sorry).
9224 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9225 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9226 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9227 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9228 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9229 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9231 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9232 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9233 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9234 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9235 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9236 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9237 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9238 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9239 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9242 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9244 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9245 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9246 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9247 buffer when there are nobody else.
9249 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9252 @node Customizing Articles
9253 @section Customizing Articles
9254 @cindex article customization
9256 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9257 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9258 called automatically when you select the articles.
9260 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9261 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9262 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9263 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9265 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9266 for sensible values.
9270 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9273 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9276 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9279 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9282 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9286 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9287 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9288 regexps in the list.
9291 A list where the first element is not a string:
9293 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9294 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9295 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9299 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9303 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9308 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9309 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9310 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9311 considered to contain just a single part.
9313 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9314 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9315 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9316 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9317 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9318 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9319 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9321 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9322 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9323 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9324 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9327 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9328 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9329 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9330 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9331 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9332 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9333 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9334 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9335 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9336 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9337 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9338 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9339 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9340 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9341 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9342 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9343 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9344 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9345 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9346 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9347 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9348 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9349 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9350 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9351 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9352 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9353 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9354 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9355 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9356 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9357 @item gnus-treat-translate
9358 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9361 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9362 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9363 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9364 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9365 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9369 @node Article Keymap
9370 @section Article Keymap
9372 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9373 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9374 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9375 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9378 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9383 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9384 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9385 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9388 @kindex DEL (Article)
9389 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9390 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9393 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9394 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9395 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9396 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9397 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9400 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9401 @findex gnus-article-mail
9402 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9403 given a prefix, include the mail.
9407 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9408 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9409 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9413 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9414 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9415 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9418 @kindex TAB (Article)
9419 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9420 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9421 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9424 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9425 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9426 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9432 @section Misc Article
9436 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9437 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9438 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9439 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9442 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9443 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9445 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9446 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9448 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9449 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9450 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9451 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9452 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9453 the contents of the article buffer.
9455 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9456 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9457 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9459 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9460 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9461 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9462 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9464 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9465 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9466 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9467 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9468 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9473 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9474 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9477 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9480 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9482 @item gnus-break-pages
9483 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9484 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9485 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9486 paging will not be done.
9488 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9489 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9490 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9495 @node Composing Messages
9496 @chapter Composing Messages
9497 @cindex composing messages
9500 @cindex sending mail
9506 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9507 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9508 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9509 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9510 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9511 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9514 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9515 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9516 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9517 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9518 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9519 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9520 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9521 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9522 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9525 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9526 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9532 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9535 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9536 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9537 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9538 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9540 @item gnus-add-to-list
9541 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9542 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9543 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9545 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9546 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9547 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9548 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9549 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9557 Variables for composing news articles:
9560 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9561 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9562 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9563 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9564 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9565 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9566 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9567 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9568 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
9571 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9572 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9573 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9574 file. It is 1000 by default.
9579 @node Posting Server
9580 @section Posting Server
9582 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9583 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9585 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9587 @vindex gnus-post-method
9589 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
9590 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9591 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9592 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9593 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9596 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9599 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9600 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9601 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9602 the ``current'' server for posting.
9604 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9605 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9607 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9608 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9611 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9612 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9613 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9618 @section Mail and Post
9620 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9624 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9625 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9626 @cindex mailing lists
9628 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9629 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9630 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9631 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9632 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9633 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9634 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9635 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9636 still a pain, though.
9640 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9641 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9642 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9645 @findex ispell-message
9647 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9650 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9651 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9654 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9657 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9658 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9660 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9663 Modify to suit your needs.
9666 @node Archived Messages
9667 @section Archived Messages
9668 @cindex archived messages
9669 @cindex sent messages
9671 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9672 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9673 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9674 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9677 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9678 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9679 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9683 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9684 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9685 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9686 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9689 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9690 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9691 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9692 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9695 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9696 '(nnfolder "archive"
9697 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9698 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9699 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9702 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9704 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9705 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9706 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9708 This variable can be used to do the following:
9712 Messages will be saved in that group.
9714 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9715 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9716 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9717 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9718 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9719 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9720 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9721 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9723 @item a list of strings
9724 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9725 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9726 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9728 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9733 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9735 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9738 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9740 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9743 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9745 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9746 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9747 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9748 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9753 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9754 '((if (message-news-p)
9759 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9760 messages in one file per month:
9763 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9764 '((if (message-news-p)
9766 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9769 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9770 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9772 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9773 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9774 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9775 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9776 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9777 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9778 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9779 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9780 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9781 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9783 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9784 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9785 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9786 this will disable archiving.
9789 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9790 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9791 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9792 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9793 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9796 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9797 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9798 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9801 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9802 but the latter is the preferred method.
9804 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9805 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9806 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9811 @node Posting Styles
9812 @section Posting Styles
9813 @cindex posting styles
9816 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9818 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9819 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9820 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9823 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9824 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9825 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9826 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9827 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9832 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9833 (organization "What me?"))
9835 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9836 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9837 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9840 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9841 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9842 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9843 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9844 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9845 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9846 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9847 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9849 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9850 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9851 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9852 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9853 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9854 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9855 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9856 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9859 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9860 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9861 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9862 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9863 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9864 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9865 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9866 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9867 result is thrown away.
9869 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9870 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9871 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9872 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9873 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9874 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9876 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9877 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9878 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9880 @findex message-mail-p
9881 @findex message-news-p
9883 So here's a new example:
9886 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9888 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9890 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9891 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9893 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9894 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9895 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9897 (signature my-news-signature))
9898 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9899 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9900 ((posting-from-work-p)
9901 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9902 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9903 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9904 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9906 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9914 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9915 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9916 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9917 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9918 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9920 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9921 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9922 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9923 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9924 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9928 @vindex nndraft-directory
9929 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9930 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9931 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9932 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9933 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9934 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9936 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9937 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9940 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9941 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9942 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9943 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9944 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9945 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9946 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9947 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9948 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9949 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9950 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9951 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9952 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9953 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9955 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9956 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9957 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9959 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9961 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9962 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9963 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9965 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9968 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9969 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9970 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9971 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9972 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9973 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9974 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9977 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9978 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9979 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9982 @node Rejected Articles
9983 @section Rejected Articles
9984 @cindex rejected articles
9986 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9987 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9988 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9989 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9991 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
9992 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9993 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9994 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
9995 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9997 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9998 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9999 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10005 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el} and
10006 @file{mml2015.el}. When viewing signed or encrypted messages, Gnus automatically
10007 asks if you want to verify or decrypt them.
10009 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10010 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10013 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10014 (setq gpg-temp-directory "~/.gnupg/tmp")
10017 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10018 to 700, for your own safety.
10020 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10021 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10025 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10028 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10029 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10032 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10035 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security menu or
10036 @kbd{M-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{M-m s s} to sign your
10037 message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{M-m c p} to encrypt your message with
10038 PGP/MIME and @kbd{M-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME.
10040 Gnus will ask for your passphrase three times and then it will send your
10041 message, if you've typed it correctly.
10044 @node Select Methods
10045 @chapter Select Methods
10046 @cindex foreign groups
10047 @cindex select methods
10049 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10050 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10051 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10052 personal mail group.
10054 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10055 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10056 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10057 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10058 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10059 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10061 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10062 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10064 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10067 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10068 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10069 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10070 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10071 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10073 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10076 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10077 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10078 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10079 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10080 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10081 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10082 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10086 @node The Server Buffer
10087 @section The Server Buffer
10089 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10090 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10091 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10092 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10093 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10094 backend represents a virtual server.
10096 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10097 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10098 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10099 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10101 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10102 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10103 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10104 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10105 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10106 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10107 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10109 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10110 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10113 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10114 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10115 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10116 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10117 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10118 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10119 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10122 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10123 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10126 @node Server Buffer Format
10127 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10128 @cindex server buffer format
10130 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10131 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10132 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10133 variable, with some simple extensions:
10138 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10141 The name of this server.
10144 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10147 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10150 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10151 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10152 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10153 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10163 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10166 @node Server Commands
10167 @subsection Server Commands
10168 @cindex server commands
10174 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10175 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10179 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10180 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10183 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10184 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10185 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10189 @findex gnus-server-exit
10190 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10194 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10195 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10199 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10200 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10204 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10205 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10209 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10210 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10214 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10215 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10216 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10221 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10222 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10223 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10224 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10229 @node Example Methods
10230 @subsection Example Methods
10232 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10235 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10238 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10244 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10245 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10248 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10249 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10251 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10252 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10256 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10259 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10260 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10262 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10263 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10264 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10268 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10271 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10274 Here's the method for a public spool:
10278 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10279 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10285 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10286 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10287 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10288 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10289 should probably look something like this:
10293 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10294 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10295 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10296 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10297 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10300 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10301 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10302 server that would look something like this:
10306 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10307 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10308 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10309 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10310 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10311 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10314 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10315 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10316 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10317 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10320 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10321 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10323 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10324 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10326 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10327 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10328 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10330 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10332 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10333 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10334 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10335 will contain the following:
10345 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10346 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10347 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10350 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10351 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10352 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10355 @node Server Variables
10356 @subsection Server Variables
10358 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10359 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10360 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10361 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10362 won't change the "derived" variables.
10364 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10365 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10366 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10367 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10368 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10369 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10370 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10371 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10372 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10376 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10377 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10378 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10382 @node Servers and Methods
10383 @subsection Servers and Methods
10385 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10386 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10387 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10388 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10392 @node Unavailable Servers
10393 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10395 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10396 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10397 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10398 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10399 actually the case or not.
10401 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10402 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10403 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10404 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10405 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10406 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10407 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10408 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10410 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10411 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10413 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10414 with the following commands:
10420 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10421 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10422 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10426 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10427 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10428 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10432 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10433 Mark the current server as unreachable
10434 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10437 @kindex M-o (Server)
10438 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10439 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10440 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10443 @kindex M-c (Server)
10444 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10445 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10446 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10450 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10451 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10452 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10458 @section Getting News
10459 @cindex reading news
10460 @cindex news backends
10462 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10463 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10464 or it can read from a local spool.
10467 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10468 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10473 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10476 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10477 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10478 server as the, uhm, address.
10480 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10481 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10482 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10483 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10485 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10486 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10487 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10489 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10494 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10495 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10496 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10498 @cindex authentification
10499 @cindex nntp authentification
10500 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10501 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10502 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10503 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10504 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10505 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10506 present in this hook.
10508 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10509 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10510 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10511 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10512 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10513 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10514 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10515 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10516 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10517 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10518 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10519 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10523 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10526 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10529 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10530 @samp{default}. Gnus introduce two new tokens, not present in the
10531 original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10532 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10533 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10534 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to, @samp{force}
10535 is explained below.
10537 Here's an example file:
10540 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10541 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10544 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10545 have to be first, for instance.
10547 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10548 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10549 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10550 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10551 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10552 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10553 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10555 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10556 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10562 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10563 previously mentioned.
10565 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10567 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10568 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10569 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10570 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10571 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10574 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10575 '(("innd" (ding))))
10578 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10580 The default value is
10583 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10584 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10587 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10588 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10590 @item nntp-maximum-request
10591 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10592 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10593 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10594 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10595 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10596 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10597 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10599 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10600 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10601 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10602 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10603 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10604 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10605 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10606 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10607 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10608 no timeouts are done.
10610 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10611 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10612 @c @cindex PPP connections
10613 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10614 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10615 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10616 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10617 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10618 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10619 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10620 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10621 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10622 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10624 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10625 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10626 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10627 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10628 @c described above.
10630 @item nntp-server-hook
10631 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10632 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10635 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10636 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10637 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10638 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10639 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10640 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10641 functions are supplied:
10644 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10645 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10648 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10649 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10650 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10653 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10657 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10658 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10659 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10660 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10662 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10663 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10664 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10666 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10667 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10668 User name on the remote system.
10672 @item nntp-open-telnet
10673 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10674 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10676 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10679 @item nntp-telnet-command
10680 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10681 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10683 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10684 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10685 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10687 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10688 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10689 User name for log in on the remote system.
10691 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10692 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10693 Password to use when logging in.
10695 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10696 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10697 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10700 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10701 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10702 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10703 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10705 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10706 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10707 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10708 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10709 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10713 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10714 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10715 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10716 you must have SSLay installed
10717 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10718 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10719 define a server as follows:
10722 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10724 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10726 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10727 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10728 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10729 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10734 @item nntp-end-of-line
10735 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10736 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10737 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10738 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10740 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10741 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10742 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10746 @vindex nntp-address
10747 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10749 @item nntp-port-number
10750 @vindex nntp-port-number
10751 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10754 @item nntp-list-options
10755 @vindex nntp-list-options
10756 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
10757 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
10758 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
10759 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
10760 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
10764 (setq gnus-select-method
10765 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10766 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
10769 @item nntp-options-subscribe
10770 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
10771 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
10772 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10773 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10774 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10775 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10778 (setq gnus-select-method
10779 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10780 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
10783 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
10784 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
10785 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
10786 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10787 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10788 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10789 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10792 (setq gnus-select-method
10793 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10794 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
10797 @item nntp-buggy-select
10798 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10799 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10801 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10802 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10803 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10804 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10807 @item nntp-xover-commands
10808 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10811 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10812 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10816 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10817 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10818 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10819 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10820 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10821 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10822 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10823 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10824 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10825 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10826 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10828 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10829 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10830 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10832 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10833 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10834 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10835 server closes connection.
10837 @item nntp-record-commands
10838 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10839 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10840 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10841 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10842 that doesn't seem to work.
10848 @subsection News Spool
10852 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10853 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10854 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10857 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10858 anything else) as the address.
10860 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10861 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10862 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10863 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10867 @item nnspool-inews-program
10868 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10869 Program used to post an article.
10871 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10872 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10873 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10875 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10876 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10877 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10878 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10880 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10881 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10882 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10883 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10885 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10886 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10887 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10889 @item nnspool-active-file
10890 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10891 The path to the active file.
10893 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10894 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10895 The path to the group descriptions file.
10897 @item nnspool-history-file
10898 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10899 The path to the news history file.
10901 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10902 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10903 The path to the active date file.
10905 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10906 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10907 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10910 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10911 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10913 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10914 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10915 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10921 @section Getting Mail
10922 @cindex reading mail
10925 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10929 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10930 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10931 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10932 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10933 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10934 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10935 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10936 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10937 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10938 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10939 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10940 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10941 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10945 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10946 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10948 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10949 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10950 of a culture shock.
10952 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10953 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10955 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10956 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10957 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10958 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10960 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10962 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10963 deleted? How awful!
10965 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10966 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10967 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10968 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10971 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10972 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10973 they want to treat a message.
10975 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10976 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10977 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10978 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10979 archived somewhere else.
10981 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10982 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10983 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10984 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10985 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10987 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10988 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10989 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10991 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10992 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10995 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10996 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10997 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10998 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10999 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11001 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11002 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11003 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11004 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11005 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11006 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11010 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11011 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11013 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11014 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11015 and things will happen automatically.
11017 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11018 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11021 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11022 '((nnml "private")))
11025 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11026 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11027 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11028 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11029 like any other group.
11031 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11034 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11035 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11036 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11040 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11041 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11042 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11045 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11046 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11047 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11050 @node Splitting Mail
11051 @subsection Splitting Mail
11052 @cindex splitting mail
11053 @cindex mail splitting
11055 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11056 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11057 to be split into groups.
11060 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11061 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11062 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11063 ("mail.other" "")))
11066 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11067 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11068 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11069 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11070 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11071 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11072 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11075 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11078 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11079 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11080 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11081 mail belongs in that group.
11083 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11084 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11085 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11086 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11087 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11088 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11090 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11091 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11092 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11093 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11094 thinks should carry this mail message.
11096 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11097 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11098 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11099 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11101 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11102 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11103 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11104 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11105 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11107 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11110 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11111 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11112 links. If that's the case for you, set
11113 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11114 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11116 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11117 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11118 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11119 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11120 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11121 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11124 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11125 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11126 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11127 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11128 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11129 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11130 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11131 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11132 month's rent money.
11136 @subsection Mail Sources
11138 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11139 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11143 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11144 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11145 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11149 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11150 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11152 @cindex mail server
11155 @cindex mail source
11157 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11158 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11163 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11166 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11167 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11168 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11171 The following mail source types are available:
11175 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11181 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11182 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11185 An example file mail source:
11188 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11191 Or using the default path:
11197 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11198 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11199 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11202 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11206 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11209 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11213 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11216 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11218 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11221 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11225 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11226 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11227 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11228 scan the mail source only once.
11234 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11238 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11242 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11243 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11244 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11245 predicate are considered.
11249 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11253 An example directory mail source:
11256 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11261 Get mail from a POP server.
11267 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11268 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11271 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11272 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11273 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11274 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}.
11277 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11281 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11285 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11286 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11289 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11292 The valid format specifier characters are:
11296 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11297 included in this string.
11300 The name of the server.
11303 The port number of the server.
11306 The user name to use.
11309 The password to use.
11312 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11313 corresponding keywords.
11316 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11317 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11320 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11321 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11324 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11325 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11328 @item :authentication
11329 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11330 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11335 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11336 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11338 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11339 default user name, and default fetcher:
11345 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11348 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11349 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11352 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11355 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11359 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11360 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11361 contains exactly one mail.
11367 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11368 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11371 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11372 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11374 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11375 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11376 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11379 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11380 from locking problems).
11384 Two example maildir mail sources:
11387 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11391 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11395 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11396 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11397 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11398 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11404 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11405 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11408 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11409 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11412 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11416 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11420 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11421 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11422 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11424 @item :authentication
11425 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11426 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11427 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11431 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11432 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11435 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11436 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11437 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11438 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11439 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11440 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11443 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11444 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11445 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11446 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11449 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11450 after finishing the fetch.
11454 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11457 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11461 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11462 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11464 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11467 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11468 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11470 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11476 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11477 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11480 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11484 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11488 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11489 folder after finishing the fetch.
11493 An example webmail source:
11496 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11501 @item Common Keywords
11502 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11508 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11509 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11513 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11518 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11519 useful when you use local mail and news.
11524 @subsubheading Function Interface
11526 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11527 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11528 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11529 consider the following mail-source setting:
11532 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11533 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11536 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11537 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11538 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11539 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11540 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11542 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11545 @node Mail Source Customization
11546 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11548 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11549 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11553 @item mail-source-crash-box
11554 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11555 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11556 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11558 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11559 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11560 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11562 @item mail-source-directory
11563 @vindex mail-source-directory
11564 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11565 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11566 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11569 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11570 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11571 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11572 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11573 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11574 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11576 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11577 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11578 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11583 @node Fetching Mail
11584 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11586 @vindex mail-sources
11587 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11588 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11589 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11590 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11592 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11593 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11596 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11597 mail server, you'd say something like:
11602 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11603 :password "secret")))
11606 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11610 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11611 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11614 :password "secret")))
11618 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11619 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11620 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11621 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11622 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11623 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11627 @node Mail Backend Variables
11628 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11630 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11634 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11635 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11636 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11637 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11639 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11640 @item nnmail-split-hook
11641 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11642 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11643 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11644 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11645 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11646 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11647 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11648 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11649 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11652 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11653 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11654 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11655 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11656 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11657 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11658 starting to handle the new mail) and
11659 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11660 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11661 default file modes the new mail files get:
11664 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11665 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11667 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11668 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11671 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11672 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11673 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11674 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11675 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11676 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11677 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11679 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11680 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11681 @findex delete-file
11682 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11684 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11685 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11686 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11687 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11688 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11693 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11694 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11695 @cindex mail splitting
11696 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11698 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11699 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11700 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11701 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11702 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11703 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11705 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11708 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11709 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11710 ;; from real errors.
11711 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11713 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11714 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11715 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11716 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11717 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11718 ;; Other mailing lists...
11719 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11720 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11721 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11722 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11723 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11724 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11725 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11726 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11728 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11729 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11733 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11734 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11735 the five possible split syntaxes:
11740 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11741 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11745 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11746 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11747 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11748 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11749 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11750 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11751 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11752 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11755 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11756 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11757 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11758 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11761 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11762 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11765 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11766 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11769 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11770 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11771 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11772 function should return a @var{split}.
11774 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11775 body of the messages:
11778 (defun split-on-body ()
11780 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11781 (goto-char (point-min))
11782 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11787 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11788 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11789 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11793 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11797 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11798 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11799 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11800 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11801 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11803 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11804 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11805 are expanded as specified by the variable
11806 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11807 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11810 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11811 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11812 when all this splitting is performed.
11814 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11815 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11816 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11819 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11822 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11823 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11825 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11826 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11827 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11828 groupings 1 through 9.
11830 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11831 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11832 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11833 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11834 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11835 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11836 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11837 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11838 it once per thread.
11840 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11841 non-nil value. And then you can include
11842 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11844 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11845 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11846 ;; other splits go here
11850 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11851 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11852 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11853 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11854 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11855 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11856 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11857 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11858 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11859 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11860 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11861 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
11862 300 kBytes in size.)
11865 @node Group Mail Splitting
11866 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11867 @cindex mail splitting
11868 @cindex group mail splitting
11870 @findex gnus-group-split
11871 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11872 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11873 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11874 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11875 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11876 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11877 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11878 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11880 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11881 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11882 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11883 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11885 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11886 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11887 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11888 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11889 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11890 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11891 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11893 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11894 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11895 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11896 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11897 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11898 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11899 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11901 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11902 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11903 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11904 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11905 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11906 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11907 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11908 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11909 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11910 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11911 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11912 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11913 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
11915 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11920 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11921 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11923 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11924 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11925 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11926 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11928 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11931 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11932 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11933 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11936 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11937 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11938 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11942 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11943 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11944 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11948 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11951 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11952 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11953 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11954 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
11955 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
11956 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11957 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11958 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11959 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11961 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11962 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11963 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11964 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11965 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11966 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11967 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11968 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11969 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11971 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11972 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
11973 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11974 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11975 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11976 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11979 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11982 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11983 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11984 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11985 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional; same as nil),
11986 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11989 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11990 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11991 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11992 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11994 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11995 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11997 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11998 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11999 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12002 Doing so can be quite easy.
12004 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12005 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12006 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12007 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12008 your @code{nnml} groups.
12014 Go to the group buffer.
12017 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12018 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12021 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12024 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12025 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12028 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12029 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12032 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12033 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12034 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12035 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12036 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12038 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12039 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12040 using the new mail backend.
12043 @node Expiring Mail
12044 @subsection Expiring Mail
12045 @cindex article expiry
12047 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12048 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12049 different approach to mail reading.
12051 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12052 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12053 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12054 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12055 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12056 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12059 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12060 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12061 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12062 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12063 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12064 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12065 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12066 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12068 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12069 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12070 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12071 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12072 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12073 column in the summary buffer.
12075 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12076 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12077 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12078 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12081 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12083 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12084 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12085 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12088 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12089 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12090 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12091 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12092 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12094 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12095 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12098 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12099 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12102 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12103 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12105 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12106 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12107 don't really mix very well.
12109 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12110 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12111 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12112 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12115 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12116 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12117 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12118 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12121 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12123 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12125 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12127 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12129 ((string= group "important")
12135 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12136 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12138 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12139 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12140 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12143 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12144 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12146 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12147 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12148 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12149 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12150 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12151 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12152 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12153 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12154 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12155 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12156 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12157 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12160 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12162 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12166 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12167 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12168 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12169 easier for procmail users.
12171 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12172 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12173 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12174 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12175 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12176 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12177 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12178 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12179 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12180 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12181 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12182 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12183 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12186 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12188 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12189 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12190 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12191 auto-expire turned on.
12195 @subsection Washing Mail
12196 @cindex mail washing
12197 @cindex list server brain damage
12198 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12200 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12201 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12202 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12203 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12204 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12205 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12207 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12208 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12209 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12212 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12213 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12214 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12215 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12218 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12219 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12220 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12221 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12222 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12225 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12226 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12227 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12228 Emacs running on MS machines.
12232 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12233 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12234 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12235 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12238 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12239 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12240 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12241 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12243 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12244 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12245 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12246 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12247 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12248 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12249 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12252 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12253 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12256 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12257 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12260 This can also be done non-destructively with
12261 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12263 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12264 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12265 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12267 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12268 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12270 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12271 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12272 @code{References} headers.
12276 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12277 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12278 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12282 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12283 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12284 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12291 @subsection Duplicates
12293 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12294 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12295 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12296 @cindex duplicate mails
12297 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12298 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12299 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12300 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12301 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12302 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12303 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12304 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12305 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12306 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12307 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12308 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12309 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12311 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12312 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12313 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12314 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12316 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12319 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12320 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12324 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12325 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12326 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12327 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12328 (any mail "mail.misc")
12335 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12336 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12341 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12342 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12343 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12344 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12345 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12348 @node Not Reading Mail
12349 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12351 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12352 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12353 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12355 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12356 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12357 mail, which should help.
12359 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12360 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12361 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12362 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12363 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12364 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12365 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12366 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12367 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12368 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12369 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12371 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12372 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12376 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12377 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12379 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12380 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12381 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12383 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12384 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12385 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12386 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12389 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12390 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12391 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12392 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12393 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12394 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12398 @node Unix Mail Box
12399 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12401 @cindex unix mail box
12403 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12404 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12405 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12406 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12407 which group it belongs in.
12409 Virtual server settings:
12412 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12413 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12414 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12416 @item nnmbox-active-file
12417 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12418 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12420 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12421 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12422 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12428 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12432 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12433 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12434 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12435 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12436 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12438 Virtual server settings:
12441 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12442 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12443 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12445 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12446 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12447 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12449 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12450 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12451 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12456 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12458 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12460 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12461 format. It should be used with some caution.
12463 @vindex nnml-directory
12464 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12465 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12466 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12467 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12469 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12472 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12473 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12474 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12475 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12476 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12477 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12478 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12479 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12481 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12482 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12483 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12484 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12486 Virtual server settings:
12489 @item nnml-directory
12490 @vindex nnml-directory
12491 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12493 @item nnml-active-file
12494 @vindex nnml-active-file
12495 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12497 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12498 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12499 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12502 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12503 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12504 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12506 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12507 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12508 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12510 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12511 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12512 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12514 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12515 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12516 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12520 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12521 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12522 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12523 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12524 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12525 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12526 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12531 @subsubsection MH Spool
12533 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12535 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12536 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12537 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12538 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12540 Virtual server settings:
12543 @item nnmh-directory
12544 @vindex nnmh-directory
12545 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12547 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12548 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12549 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12552 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12553 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12554 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12555 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12556 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12557 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12558 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12563 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12565 @cindex mbox folders
12566 @cindex mail folders
12568 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12569 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12570 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12573 Virtual server settings:
12576 @item nnfolder-directory
12577 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12578 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12580 @item nnfolder-active-file
12581 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12582 The name of the active file.
12584 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12585 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12586 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12588 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12589 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12590 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12592 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12593 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12594 @cindex backup files
12595 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12596 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12597 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12598 your @file{.emacs} file:
12601 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12602 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12604 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12607 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12608 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12609 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12610 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12611 extract some information from it before removing it.
12613 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12614 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12615 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12620 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12621 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12622 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12623 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12624 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12625 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12628 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12629 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12631 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12632 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12633 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12634 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12635 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12637 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12638 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12639 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12640 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12641 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12642 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12643 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12644 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12647 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12648 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12649 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12650 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12655 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12656 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12657 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12658 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12659 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12660 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12661 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12662 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12663 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12664 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12665 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12666 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12667 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12672 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12673 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12674 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12675 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12676 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12677 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12678 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12679 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12680 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12681 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12682 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12683 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12684 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12685 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12687 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12688 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12693 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12694 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12695 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12696 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12697 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12698 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12699 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12700 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12701 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12702 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12703 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12704 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12705 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12706 provided by the active file and overviews.
12708 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12709 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12710 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12711 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12712 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12715 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12716 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12721 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12722 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12723 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12724 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12725 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12726 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12727 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12731 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12732 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12733 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12734 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12735 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12736 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12737 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12738 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12739 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12741 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12742 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12743 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12744 friendly mail backend all over.
12749 @node Browsing the Web
12750 @section Browsing the Web
12752 @cindex browsing the web
12756 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12757 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12758 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12759 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12760 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12761 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12762 even know what a news group is.
12764 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12765 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12766 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12767 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12768 you mad in the end.
12770 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12773 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12774 interfaces to these sources.
12777 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12778 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12779 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12780 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12781 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12784 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12786 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12787 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12788 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12789 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12790 though, you should be ok.
12792 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12793 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12794 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12795 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12796 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12800 @subsection Web Searches
12804 @cindex InReference
12805 @cindex Usenet searches
12806 @cindex searching the Usenet
12808 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12809 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12810 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12811 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12812 searches without having to use a browser.
12814 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12815 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12816 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12817 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12818 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12820 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12821 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12822 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12823 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12824 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12825 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12826 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12827 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12828 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12829 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12832 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12833 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12834 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12835 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12836 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12837 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12839 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12840 to use @code{nnweb}.
12842 Virtual server variables:
12847 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12848 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12852 @vindex nnweb-search
12853 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12855 @item nnweb-max-hits
12856 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12857 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12860 @item nnweb-type-definition
12861 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12862 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12863 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12868 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12872 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12875 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12878 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12882 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12889 @subsection Slashdot
12893 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12894 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12895 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12897 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12898 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12901 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12902 '((nnslashdot "")))
12905 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12906 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12907 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12908 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12909 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12912 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12913 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12915 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12916 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12917 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12918 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12919 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12920 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12923 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12926 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12927 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12928 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12929 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12930 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12931 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12932 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12934 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12935 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12936 The login name to use when posting.
12938 @item nnslashdot-password
12939 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12940 The password to use when posting.
12942 @item nnslashdot-directory
12943 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12944 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12945 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12947 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12948 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12949 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12950 news articles and comments. The default is
12951 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12953 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12954 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12955 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12957 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12959 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12960 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12961 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12963 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12965 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12966 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12967 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12969 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12970 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12971 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12972 updated. The default is 0.
12979 @subsection Ultimate
12981 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12983 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12984 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12985 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12986 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12988 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12989 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12990 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12991 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12992 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12993 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12994 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12996 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12999 @item nnultimate-directory
13000 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13001 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13002 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13007 @subsection Web Archive
13009 @cindex Web Archive
13011 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13012 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13013 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13014 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13017 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13018 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13019 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13020 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13021 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13022 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13023 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13025 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13028 @item nnwarchive-directory
13029 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13030 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13031 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13033 @item nnwarchive-login
13034 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13035 The account name on the web server.
13037 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13038 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13039 The password for your account on the web server.
13043 @node Customizing w3
13044 @subsection Customizing w3
13050 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13051 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13052 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13054 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13055 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13056 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13059 (eval-after-load "w3"
13061 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13062 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13063 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13064 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13066 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13069 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13070 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13074 @node Other Sources
13075 @section Other Sources
13077 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13078 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13082 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13083 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13084 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13085 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13086 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13087 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13091 @node Directory Groups
13092 @subsection Directory Groups
13094 @cindex directory groups
13096 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13097 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13100 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13101 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13102 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13103 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13105 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13106 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13107 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13108 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13109 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13111 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13113 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13114 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13115 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13116 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13119 @node Anything Groups
13120 @subsection Anything Groups
13123 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13124 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13125 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13128 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13129 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13130 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13131 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13132 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13133 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13134 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13135 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13136 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13137 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13140 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13141 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13142 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13143 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13145 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13146 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13147 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13148 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13150 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13151 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13152 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13153 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13154 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13155 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13156 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13157 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13162 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13163 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13164 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13165 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13167 @item nneething-exclude-files
13168 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13169 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13170 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13172 @item nneething-include-files
13173 @vindex nneething-include-files
13174 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13175 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13177 @item nneething-map-file
13178 @vindex nneething-map-file
13179 Name of the map files.
13183 @node Document Groups
13184 @subsection Document Groups
13186 @cindex documentation group
13189 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13190 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13197 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13202 The standard Unix mbox file.
13204 @cindex MMDF mail box
13206 The MMDF mail box format.
13209 Several news articles appended into a file.
13212 @cindex rnews batch files
13213 The rnews batch transport format.
13214 @cindex forwarded messages
13217 Forwarded articles.
13220 Netscape mail boxes.
13223 MIME multipart messages.
13225 @item standard-digest
13226 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13229 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13232 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13233 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13234 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13237 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13238 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13239 group. And that's it.
13241 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13242 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13243 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13244 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13245 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13246 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13247 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13248 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13249 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13250 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13252 Virtual server variables:
13255 @item nndoc-article-type
13256 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13257 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13258 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13259 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13260 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13262 @item nndoc-post-type
13263 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13264 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13265 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13270 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13274 @node Document Server Internals
13275 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13277 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13278 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13279 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13280 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13282 First, here's an example document type definition:
13286 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13287 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13290 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13291 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13292 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13293 types can be defined with very few settings:
13296 @item first-article
13297 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13298 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13301 @item article-begin
13302 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13303 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13305 @item head-begin-function
13306 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13309 @item nndoc-head-begin
13310 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13313 @item nndoc-head-end
13314 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13315 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13317 @item body-begin-function
13318 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13322 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13325 @item body-end-function
13326 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13330 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13333 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13334 regexp will be totally ignored.
13338 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13339 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13340 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13341 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13342 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13345 @item prepare-body-function
13346 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13347 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13348 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13350 @item article-transform-function
13351 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13352 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13353 body of the article.
13355 @item generate-head-function
13356 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13357 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13358 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13359 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13363 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13368 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13369 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13370 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13371 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13372 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13373 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13374 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13375 (subtype digest guess))
13378 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13379 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13380 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13381 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13382 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13384 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13385 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13386 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13387 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13388 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
13389 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13390 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13391 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13392 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13393 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13401 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13402 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13403 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13405 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13406 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13407 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13410 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13411 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13412 that interested in doing things properly.
13414 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13415 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13418 First some terminology:
13423 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13424 get news and/or mail from.
13427 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13428 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13431 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13435 @item message packets
13436 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13437 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13438 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13440 @item response packets
13441 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13442 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13443 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13453 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13454 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13455 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13456 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13459 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13462 You put the packet in your home directory.
13465 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13466 the native or secondary server.
13469 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13470 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13473 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13477 You transfer this packet to the server.
13480 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13483 You then repeat until you die.
13487 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13488 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13491 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13492 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13493 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13497 @node SOUP Commands
13498 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13500 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13504 @kindex G s b (Group)
13505 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13506 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13507 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13508 process/prefix convention.
13511 @kindex G s w (Group)
13512 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13513 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13516 @kindex G s s (Group)
13517 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13518 Send all replies from the replies packet
13519 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13522 @kindex G s p (Group)
13523 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13524 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13527 @kindex G s r (Group)
13528 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13529 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13532 @kindex O s (Summary)
13533 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13534 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13535 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13536 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13541 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13546 @item gnus-soup-directory
13547 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13548 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13549 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13551 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13552 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13553 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13554 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13556 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13557 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13558 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13559 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13561 @item gnus-soup-packer
13562 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13563 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13564 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13566 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13567 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13568 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13569 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13571 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13572 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13573 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13575 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13576 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13577 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13578 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13584 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13587 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13588 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13589 you can read them at leisure.
13591 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13595 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13596 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13597 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13598 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13600 @item nnsoup-directory
13601 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13602 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13603 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13605 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13606 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13607 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13608 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13610 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13611 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13612 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13613 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13614 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13616 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13617 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13618 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13619 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13621 @item nnsoup-active-file
13622 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13623 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13624 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13625 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13626 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13628 @item nnsoup-packer
13629 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13630 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13631 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13633 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13634 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13635 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13636 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13638 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13639 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13640 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13643 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13644 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13645 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13648 @item nnsoup-always-save
13649 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13650 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13656 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13658 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13659 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13660 more for that to happen.
13662 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13663 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13664 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13667 In specific, this is what it does:
13670 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13671 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13674 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13675 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13676 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13679 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13680 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13681 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13684 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13685 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13686 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13688 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13694 @item nngateway-address
13695 @vindex nngateway-address
13696 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13698 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13699 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13700 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13701 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13702 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13703 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13704 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13707 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13708 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13709 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13712 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13715 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13718 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13721 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13723 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13726 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13727 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13728 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13730 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13732 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13733 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13734 @code{nngateway-address}.
13739 (setq gnus-post-method
13740 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13741 (nngateway-header-transformation
13742 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13750 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13753 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13759 @subsection @sc{imap}
13763 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13764 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13765 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13766 network address of the server.
13768 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13769 might look something like this:
13772 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13773 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13774 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13776 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13777 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13778 ; a UW server running on localhost
13780 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13781 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13782 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13783 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13784 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13785 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13786 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13787 (nnimap-stream network))
13788 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13790 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13791 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13792 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13795 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13800 @item nnimap-address
13801 @vindex nnimap-address
13803 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13804 server name if not specified.
13806 @item nnimap-server-port
13807 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13808 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13810 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13813 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13814 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13817 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13818 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13819 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13820 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13821 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13822 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13823 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13825 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13826 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13827 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13830 Example server specification:
13833 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13834 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13835 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13838 @item nnimap-stream
13839 @vindex nnimap-stream
13840 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13841 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13842 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13843 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13845 Example server specification:
13848 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13849 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13852 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13856 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13857 @samp{imtest} program.
13859 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13861 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13862 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13865 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13866 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13868 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13870 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13873 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13874 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13875 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13876 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13879 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13880 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13881 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13882 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
13883 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13884 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13885 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13888 @vindex imap-shell-program
13889 @vindex imap-shell-host
13890 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13891 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13893 @item nnimap-authenticator
13894 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13896 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13897 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13899 Example server specification:
13902 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13903 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
13906 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
13910 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13911 external program @code{imtest}.
13913 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13916 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13917 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13919 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13921 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13923 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13926 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13928 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13929 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13930 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13931 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13932 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13933 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13936 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13937 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13938 running in circles yet?
13940 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13941 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13944 The possible options are:
13949 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13952 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13953 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13954 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13955 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13957 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13962 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13963 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
13965 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
13966 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
13967 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
13969 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
13970 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
13971 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
13977 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13978 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13979 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13984 @node Splitting in IMAP
13985 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13986 @cindex splitting imap mail
13988 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13989 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13990 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13991 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13992 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13996 Here are the variables of interest:
14000 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14001 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14003 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14005 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14006 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14008 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14010 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14011 @cindex splitting, inbox
14013 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14015 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14016 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14020 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14021 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14024 No nnmail equivalent.
14026 @item nnimap-split-rule
14027 @cindex Splitting, rules
14028 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14030 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14033 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14034 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14035 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14036 Neither did I, we need examples.
14039 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14040 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14041 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14042 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14045 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14046 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14047 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14049 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14050 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14054 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14057 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14058 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14059 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14060 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14062 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14063 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14064 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14065 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14066 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14067 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14069 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14070 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14071 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14073 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14074 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14075 thinks the article should be splitted to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14077 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14079 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14080 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14081 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14084 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14085 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14086 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14087 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14088 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14089 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14092 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14093 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14094 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14095 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14096 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14097 group/function elements.
14099 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14101 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14103 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14105 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14106 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14108 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14109 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14110 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14113 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14114 @cindex splitting, fancy
14115 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14116 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14118 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14119 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14120 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14122 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14123 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14124 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14125 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14130 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14131 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14134 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14138 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14139 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14140 @cindex editing imap acls
14141 @cindex Access Control Lists
14142 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14144 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14146 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14147 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14148 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14151 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14152 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14153 editing window with detailed instructions.
14155 Some possible uses:
14159 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14160 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14161 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14163 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14164 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14165 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14169 @node Expunging mailboxes
14170 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14174 @cindex Manual expunging
14176 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14178 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14179 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14180 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14182 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14187 @node Combined Groups
14188 @section Combined Groups
14190 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14194 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14195 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14199 @node Virtual Groups
14200 @subsection Virtual Groups
14202 @cindex virtual groups
14203 @cindex merging groups
14205 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14208 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14209 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14210 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14212 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14213 regexp to match component groups.
14215 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14216 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14217 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14218 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14219 the virtual group.)
14221 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14222 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14225 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14228 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14229 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14231 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14232 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14233 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14234 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14237 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14240 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14241 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14242 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14244 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14245 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14246 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14247 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14248 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14250 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14251 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14252 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14254 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14255 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14256 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14257 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14258 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14259 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14260 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14261 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14262 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14263 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14264 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14266 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14267 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14268 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14269 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14270 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14271 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14272 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14274 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14275 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14279 @node Kibozed Groups
14280 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14284 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14285 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14286 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14287 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14289 @kindex G k (Group)
14290 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14293 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14294 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14295 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14296 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14298 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14299 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14300 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14302 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14303 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14304 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14305 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14306 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14307 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14308 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14309 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14311 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14312 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14313 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14314 Stranger things have happened.
14316 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14317 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14319 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14320 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14321 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14322 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14323 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14324 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14326 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14327 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14330 @node Gnus Unplugged
14331 @section Gnus Unplugged
14336 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14338 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14339 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14340 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14341 read news. Believe it or not.
14343 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14344 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14345 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14346 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14347 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14349 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14350 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14351 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14352 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14353 reading news on a machine.
14355 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14359 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14360 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14364 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14365 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14372 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14374 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14377 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14378 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14379 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14380 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14381 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14382 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14383 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14384 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14385 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14386 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14391 @subsection Agent Basics
14393 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14395 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14396 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14397 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14398 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14400 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14401 connected to the net continuously.
14403 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14404 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14406 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14411 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14412 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14413 already fetched while in this mode.
14416 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14417 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14418 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14419 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14420 Source Specifiers}).
14423 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14424 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14425 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14426 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14427 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14430 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14431 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14432 then you read the news offline.
14435 And then you go to step 2.
14438 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14444 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14445 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14446 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14447 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14448 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14449 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14452 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14459 @node Agent Categories
14460 @subsection Agent Categories
14462 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14463 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14464 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14465 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14466 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14467 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14468 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14470 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14471 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14472 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14473 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14474 managing categories.
14477 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14478 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14479 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14483 @node Category Syntax
14484 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14486 A category consists of two things.
14490 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14491 are eligible for downloading; and
14494 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14495 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14496 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14499 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14500 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14501 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14502 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14504 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14505 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14506 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14508 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14509 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14510 operators sprinkled in between.
14512 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14514 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14515 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14521 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14522 short (for some value of ``short'').
14524 Here's a more complex predicate:
14533 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14534 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14537 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14538 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14539 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14541 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14542 you want to do, you can write your own.
14546 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14547 lines; default 100.
14550 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14551 lines; default 200.
14554 True iff the article has a download score less than
14555 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14558 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14559 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14562 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14563 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14564 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14573 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14574 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14575 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14578 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14579 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14580 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14581 something along the lines of the following:
14584 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14585 "Say whether an article is old."
14586 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14587 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14590 with the predicate then defined as:
14593 (not my-article-old-p)
14596 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14597 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14598 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14599 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14602 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14603 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14604 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14607 and simply specify your predicate as:
14613 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14614 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14615 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14616 just don't give a damm.
14618 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14619 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14620 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14621 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14622 parameters like so:
14625 (agent-predicate . short)
14628 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14629 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14630 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14632 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14635 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14638 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14639 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14640 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14643 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14644 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14645 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14646 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14647 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14648 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14650 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14651 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14652 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14653 if it's to be specific to that group.
14655 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14662 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14663 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14669 Category specification
14673 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14679 Group Parameter specification
14682 (agent-score ("from"
14683 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14688 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14694 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14701 Category specification
14704 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14710 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14714 Group Parameter specification
14717 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14720 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14725 Use @code{normal} score files
14727 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14728 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14729 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14730 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14732 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14733 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14734 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14735 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14739 Category Specification
14746 Group Parameter specification
14749 (agent-score . file)
14754 @node The Category Buffer
14755 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14757 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14758 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14759 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14761 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14765 @kindex q (Category)
14766 @findex gnus-category-exit
14767 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14770 @kindex k (Category)
14771 @findex gnus-category-kill
14772 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14775 @kindex c (Category)
14776 @findex gnus-category-copy
14777 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14780 @kindex a (Category)
14781 @findex gnus-category-add
14782 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14785 @kindex p (Category)
14786 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14787 Edit the predicate of the current category
14788 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14791 @kindex g (Category)
14792 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14793 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14794 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14797 @kindex s (Category)
14798 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14799 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14800 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14803 @kindex l (Category)
14804 @findex gnus-category-list
14805 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14809 @node Category Variables
14810 @subsubsection Category Variables
14813 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14814 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14815 Hook run in category buffers.
14817 @item gnus-category-line-format
14818 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14819 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14820 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14824 The name of the category.
14827 The number of groups in the category.
14830 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14831 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14832 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14834 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14835 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14836 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14838 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14839 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14840 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14842 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14843 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14844 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14847 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14848 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14849 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14855 @node Agent Commands
14856 @subsection Agent Commands
14858 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14859 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14860 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14864 * Group Agent Commands::
14865 * Summary Agent Commands::
14866 * Server Agent Commands::
14869 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14870 following incantation:
14872 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14874 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14879 @node Group Agent Commands
14880 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14884 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14885 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14886 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14887 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14890 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14891 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14892 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14895 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14896 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14897 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14898 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14901 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14902 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14903 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14904 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14907 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14908 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14909 Add the current group to an Agent category
14910 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14911 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14914 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14915 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14916 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14917 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14918 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14921 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
14922 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
14923 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
14929 @node Summary Agent Commands
14930 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14934 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14935 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14936 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14939 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14940 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14941 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14942 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14945 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14946 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14947 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14950 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14951 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14952 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14957 @node Server Agent Commands
14958 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14962 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14963 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14964 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14965 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14968 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14969 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14970 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14971 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14977 @subsection Agent Expiry
14979 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14980 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14981 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14982 @cindex Agent expiry
14983 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14986 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14987 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14988 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14989 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14990 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14991 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14993 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14994 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14995 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14996 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14997 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15000 @node Agent and IMAP
15001 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15003 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However, since
15004 there are some conceptual differences between NNTP and IMAP, this
15005 section (should) provide you with some information to make Gnus Agent
15006 work smoother as a IMAP Disconnected Mode client.
15008 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15009 are kept on the IMAP server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15010 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15011 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15013 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15014 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15015 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize theese
15016 with the server. This behaviour is customizable with
15017 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15019 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15020 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15021 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15022 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15023 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15024 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15026 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15027 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15028 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15029 in the group buffer by default.
15031 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15032 expect from a disconnected IMAP client, including:
15037 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15040 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15044 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15045 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15046 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15047 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15048 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15049 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15050 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15051 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15054 @node Outgoing Messages
15055 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15057 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15058 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15059 after posting, and edit them at will.
15061 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15062 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15063 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15064 messages in the draft group.
15068 @node Agent Variables
15069 @subsection Agent Variables
15072 @item gnus-agent-directory
15073 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15074 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15075 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15077 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15078 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15079 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15080 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15081 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15084 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15085 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15086 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15088 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15089 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15090 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15095 @node Example Setup
15096 @subsection Example Setup
15098 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15099 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15100 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15103 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15104 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15105 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15107 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15108 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15109 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15111 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15112 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15114 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15118 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15119 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15122 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15123 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15124 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15125 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15126 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15129 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15130 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15131 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15132 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15133 back all the killed groups.)
15135 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15136 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15137 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15140 @node Batching Agents
15141 @subsection Batching Agents
15143 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15144 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15145 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15149 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15153 @node Agent Caveats
15154 @subsection Agent Caveats
15156 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15157 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15161 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15166 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15167 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15173 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15174 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15181 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15182 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15183 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15186 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15187 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15188 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15189 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15190 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15192 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15193 before generating the summary buffer.
15195 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15196 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15197 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15199 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15200 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15201 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15202 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15205 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15206 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15207 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15208 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15209 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15210 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15211 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15212 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15213 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15214 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15215 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15216 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15217 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15218 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15219 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15220 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15224 @node Summary Score Commands
15225 @section Summary Score Commands
15226 @cindex score commands
15228 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15229 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15230 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15231 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15232 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15234 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15235 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15236 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15237 score file the current one.
15239 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15244 @kindex V s (Summary)
15245 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15246 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15249 @kindex V S (Summary)
15250 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15251 Display the score of the current article
15252 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15255 @kindex V t (Summary)
15256 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15257 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15258 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15261 @kindex V R (Summary)
15262 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15263 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15264 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15265 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15266 effect you're having.
15269 @kindex V c (Summary)
15270 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15271 Make a different score file the current
15272 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15275 @kindex V e (Summary)
15276 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15277 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15278 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15282 @kindex V f (Summary)
15283 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15284 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15285 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15288 @kindex V F (Summary)
15289 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15290 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15291 after editing score files.
15294 @kindex V C (Summary)
15295 @findex gnus-score-customize
15296 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15297 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15301 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15306 @kindex V m (Summary)
15307 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15308 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15309 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15312 @kindex V x (Summary)
15313 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15314 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15315 expunge all articles below this score
15316 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15319 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15320 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15323 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15324 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15328 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15329 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15331 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15332 keys are available:
15336 Score on the author name.
15339 Score on the subject line.
15342 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15345 Score on the @code{References} line.
15351 Score on the number of lines.
15354 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15357 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15358 the followups to this author.
15372 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15373 what headers you are scoring on.
15385 Substring matching.
15388 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15417 Greater than number.
15422 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15423 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15424 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15428 Temporary score entry.
15431 Permanent score entry.
15434 Immediately scoring.
15439 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15440 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15441 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15442 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15444 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15445 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15446 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15447 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15448 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15450 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15451 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15452 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15453 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15454 current score file.
15456 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15457 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15458 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15461 @node Group Score Commands
15462 @section Group Score Commands
15463 @cindex group score commands
15465 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15470 @kindex W f (Group)
15471 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15472 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15473 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15474 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15478 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15480 @findex gnus-batch-score
15481 @cindex batch scoring
15483 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15487 @node Score Variables
15488 @section Score Variables
15489 @cindex score variables
15493 @item gnus-use-scoring
15494 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15495 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15496 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15498 @item gnus-kill-killed
15499 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15500 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15501 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15502 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15503 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15504 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15505 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15507 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15508 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15509 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15510 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15511 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15513 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15514 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15515 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15516 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15518 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15519 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15520 @cindex score cache
15521 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15522 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15523 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
15524 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15525 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15526 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15529 @item gnus-save-score
15530 @vindex gnus-save-score
15531 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15532 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15533 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15535 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15536 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15537 across group visits.
15539 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15540 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15541 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15542 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15543 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15544 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15545 manually entered data.
15547 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15548 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15549 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15551 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15552 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15553 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15554 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15555 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15556 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15558 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15559 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15560 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15561 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15563 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15564 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15565 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15566 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15568 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15569 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15570 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15571 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15573 Predefined functions available are:
15576 @item gnus-score-find-single
15577 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15578 Only apply the group's own score file.
15580 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15581 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15582 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15583 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15584 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15585 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15586 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15587 then a regexp match is done.
15589 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15590 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15592 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15593 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15594 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15595 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15597 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15598 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15599 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15600 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15601 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15605 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15606 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15607 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15608 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15609 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15610 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15611 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15613 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15614 overall score file, you could use the value
15616 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15619 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15620 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15621 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15622 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15623 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15625 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15626 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15627 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15628 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15629 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15630 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15631 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15634 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15635 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15636 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15638 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15639 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15640 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15641 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15642 threading---according to the current value of
15643 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15644 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15645 simplified in this manner.
15650 @node Score File Format
15651 @section Score File Format
15652 @cindex score file format
15654 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15655 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15656 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15658 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15662 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15664 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15666 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15668 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15673 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15677 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15678 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15679 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15680 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15684 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15685 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15687 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15688 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15689 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15691 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15696 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15697 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15698 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15699 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15700 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15701 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15702 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15703 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15704 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15705 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15706 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15707 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15708 to articles that matches these score entries.
15710 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15711 score entry has one to four elements.
15715 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15716 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15720 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15721 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15722 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15723 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15724 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15725 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15728 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15729 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15730 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15731 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15732 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15735 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15736 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15737 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15738 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15741 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15742 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15743 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15744 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15745 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15746 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15747 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15748 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15749 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15750 instead, if you feel like.
15753 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15754 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15756 These predicates are true if
15759 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15762 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15763 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15770 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15771 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15772 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15773 it's not. I think.)
15775 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15776 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15777 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15778 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15781 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15782 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15783 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15784 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15785 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15786 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15787 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15791 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15792 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15793 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15794 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15795 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15796 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15797 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15798 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15801 @item Head, Body, All
15802 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15806 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15807 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15808 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15809 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15810 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15811 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15812 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15816 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15817 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15818 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15819 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15820 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15821 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15822 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15823 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15824 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15825 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15826 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15830 @cindex Score File Atoms
15832 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15833 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15836 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15837 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15839 @item mark-and-expunge
15840 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15841 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15844 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15845 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15846 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15847 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15848 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15851 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15852 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15855 @item exclude-files
15856 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15857 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15861 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15862 ignored when handling global score files.
15865 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15866 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15867 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15868 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15871 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15872 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15873 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15874 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15876 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15880 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15883 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15884 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15885 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15886 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15887 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15889 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15890 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15891 ordinary scoring rules.
15894 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15895 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15896 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15897 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15898 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15899 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15900 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15901 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15902 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15903 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15904 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15908 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15909 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15910 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15911 file for a number of groups.
15914 @cindex local variables
15915 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15916 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15917 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15918 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15919 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15923 @node Score File Editing
15924 @section Score File Editing
15926 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15927 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15928 with a mode for that.
15930 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15931 additional commands:
15936 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15937 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15938 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15939 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15942 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15943 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15944 Insert the current date in numerical format
15945 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15946 you were wondering.
15949 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15950 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15951 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15952 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15953 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15958 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15960 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15961 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15963 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15964 e} to begin editing score files.
15967 @node Adaptive Scoring
15968 @section Adaptive Scoring
15969 @cindex adaptive scoring
15971 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15972 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15973 stupidity, to be precise.
15975 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15976 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15977 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15978 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15979 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15980 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15981 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15982 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15983 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15985 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15986 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15987 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15988 might look something like this:
15991 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15992 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15993 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15994 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15995 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15996 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15997 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15998 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15999 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16000 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16001 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16002 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16005 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16006 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16007 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16008 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16009 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16010 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16013 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16014 will be applied to each article.
16016 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16017 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16018 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16019 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16021 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16022 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16023 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16024 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16026 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16027 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16028 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16029 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16031 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16032 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16033 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16034 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16035 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16036 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16038 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16039 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16040 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16041 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16042 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16043 aspirins afterwards.)
16045 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16046 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16047 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16049 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16050 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16051 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16053 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16054 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16055 let you use different rules in different groups.
16057 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16058 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16059 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16062 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16063 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16064 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16065 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16066 the length of the match is less than
16067 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16068 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16071 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16072 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16073 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16074 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16075 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16078 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16079 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16080 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16081 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16082 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16085 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16086 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16087 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16088 score with 30 points.
16090 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16091 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16092 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16093 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16094 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16096 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16097 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16098 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16099 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16101 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16102 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16103 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16104 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16106 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16107 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16108 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16109 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16110 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16112 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16113 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16114 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16116 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16117 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16118 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16119 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16122 @node Home Score File
16123 @section Home Score File
16125 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16126 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16127 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16128 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16130 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16131 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16132 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16134 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16135 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16140 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16144 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16145 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16149 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16153 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16154 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
16157 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16158 the home score file.
16161 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16164 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16169 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16172 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16173 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16176 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16177 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16179 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16181 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16182 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16185 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16186 Other functions include
16189 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16190 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16191 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16192 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16196 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16197 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16198 their own home score files:
16201 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16202 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16203 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16204 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16205 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16208 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16209 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16210 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16211 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16212 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16214 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16215 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16216 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16217 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16218 precedence over this variable.
16221 @node Followups To Yourself
16222 @section Followups To Yourself
16224 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16225 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16226 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16227 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16228 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16229 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16233 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16234 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16235 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16238 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16239 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16240 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16244 @vindex message-sent-hook
16245 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16246 @code{message-sent-hook}.
16248 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16249 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16253 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16254 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16257 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16258 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16263 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
16267 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16268 is system-dependent.
16272 @section Scoring Tips
16273 @cindex scoring tips
16279 @cindex scoring crossposts
16280 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16281 the @code{Xref} header.
16283 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16286 @item Multiple crossposts
16287 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16288 more than, say, 3 groups:
16290 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16293 @item Matching on the body
16294 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16295 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16296 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16297 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16298 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16299 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16300 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16303 @item Marking as read
16304 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16305 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16306 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16310 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16312 @item Negated character classes
16313 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16314 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16315 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16319 @node Reverse Scoring
16320 @section Reverse Scoring
16321 @cindex reverse scoring
16323 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16324 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16325 like this in your score file:
16329 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16334 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16335 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16338 @node Global Score Files
16339 @section Global Score Files
16340 @cindex global score files
16342 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16343 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16344 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16346 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16347 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16348 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16350 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16351 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16352 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16353 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16354 files are applicable to which group.
16356 Say you want to use the score file
16357 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16358 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16361 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16362 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16363 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16366 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16367 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16368 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16369 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16370 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16372 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16373 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16375 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16376 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16377 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16378 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16379 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16380 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16382 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16388 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16390 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16392 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16394 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16395 lowered out of existence.
16397 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16398 articles completely.
16401 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16402 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16403 old articles for a long time.
16406 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16407 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16408 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16409 holding our breath yet?
16413 @section Kill Files
16416 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16417 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16418 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16420 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16421 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16422 files into score files.
16424 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16425 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16426 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16427 that isn't a very good idea.
16429 Normal kill files look like this:
16432 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16433 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16437 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16438 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16440 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16441 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16444 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16449 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16450 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16451 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16454 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16455 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16456 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16459 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16464 @kindex M-k (Group)
16465 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16466 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16469 @kindex M-K (Group)
16470 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16471 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16474 Kill file variables:
16477 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16478 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16479 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16480 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16481 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16482 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16483 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16485 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16486 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16487 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16488 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16491 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16492 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16493 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16494 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16495 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16496 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16497 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16498 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16499 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16501 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16502 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16503 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16508 @node Converting Kill Files
16509 @section Converting Kill Files
16511 @cindex converting kill files
16513 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16514 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16515 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16518 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16519 You can fetch it from
16520 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16522 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16523 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16524 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16532 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16533 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16534 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16536 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16537 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16538 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16539 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16540 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16541 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16542 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16543 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16547 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16548 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16549 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16550 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16554 @node Using GroupLens
16555 @subsection Using GroupLens
16557 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16559 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16560 better bit in town at the moment.
16562 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16566 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16567 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16568 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16569 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16571 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16572 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16573 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16574 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16576 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16577 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16578 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16582 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16583 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16584 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16585 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16586 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16587 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16590 @node Rating Articles
16591 @subsection Rating Articles
16593 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16594 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16595 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16596 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16599 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16604 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16605 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16606 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16609 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16610 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16611 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16612 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16613 threads in rec.humor.
16617 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16618 the score of the article you're reading.
16623 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16624 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16625 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16628 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16629 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16630 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16634 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16635 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16638 @node Displaying Predictions
16639 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16641 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16642 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16643 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16644 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16645 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16647 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16648 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16649 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16650 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16651 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16652 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16653 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16654 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16655 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16656 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16657 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16658 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16659 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16661 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16662 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16663 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16664 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16666 The following are valid values for that variable.
16669 @item prediction-spot
16670 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16673 @item confidence-interval
16674 A numeric confidence interval.
16676 @item prediction-bar
16677 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16679 @item confidence-bar
16680 Numerical confidence.
16682 @item confidence-spot
16683 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16685 @item prediction-num
16686 Plain-old numeric value.
16688 @item confidence-plus-minus
16689 Prediction +/- confidence.
16694 @node GroupLens Variables
16695 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16699 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16700 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16701 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16702 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16705 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16706 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16709 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16710 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16712 @item grouplens-score-offset
16713 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16714 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16717 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16718 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16719 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16724 @node Advanced Scoring
16725 @section Advanced Scoring
16727 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16728 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16729 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16730 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16731 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16733 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16737 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16738 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16739 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16743 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16744 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16746 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16747 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16748 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16749 non-@code{nil} value.
16751 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16752 operator, and various match operators.
16759 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16760 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16761 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16766 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16767 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16768 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16773 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16774 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16778 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16779 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16780 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16781 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16782 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16783 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16784 the ancestry you want to go.
16786 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16787 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16788 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16789 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16790 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16793 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16794 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16796 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16797 when he's talking about Gnus:
16801 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16802 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16808 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16812 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16819 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16820 really don't want to read what he's written:
16824 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16825 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16829 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16830 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16831 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16838 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16839 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16840 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16841 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16845 The possibilities are endless.
16848 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16849 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16851 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16852 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16853 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16854 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16855 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16856 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16857 @samp{subject}) first.
16859 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16860 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16871 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16872 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16878 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16885 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16886 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16891 @section Score Decays
16892 @cindex score decays
16895 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16896 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16897 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16898 use them in any sensible way.
16900 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16901 @findex gnus-decay-score
16902 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16903 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16904 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16905 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16906 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16907 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16908 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16909 definition of that function:
16912 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16914 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16915 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16918 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16920 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16922 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16925 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16926 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16927 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16928 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16932 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16935 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16938 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16942 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16943 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16944 the new score, which should be an integer.
16946 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16947 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16954 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16955 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16956 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16957 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16958 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16959 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16960 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16961 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16962 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16963 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16964 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16965 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16966 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16967 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16968 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16969 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16970 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16971 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16975 @node Process/Prefix
16976 @section Process/Prefix
16977 @cindex process/prefix convention
16979 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16980 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16982 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16983 command to be performed on.
16987 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16988 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16989 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16990 with the current one.
16992 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16993 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16994 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16996 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16997 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17000 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17001 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17003 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17006 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17007 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17008 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17009 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17011 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17012 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17013 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17014 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17015 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17016 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17017 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17018 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17020 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17021 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17022 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17023 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17024 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17028 @section Interactive
17029 @cindex interaction
17033 @item gnus-novice-user
17034 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17035 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17036 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17037 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17038 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17041 @item gnus-expert-user
17042 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17043 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17044 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17045 matter how strange.
17047 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17048 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17049 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17050 is @code{t} by default.
17052 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17053 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17054 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17059 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17060 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17061 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17063 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17064 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17065 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17066 rule of 900 to the current article.
17068 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17069 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17070 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17071 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17072 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17073 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17074 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17076 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17077 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17078 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17079 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17080 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17081 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17082 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17083 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17084 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17086 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17087 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17088 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17090 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17094 @node Formatting Variables
17095 @section Formatting Variables
17096 @cindex formatting variables
17098 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17099 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17100 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17101 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17102 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17105 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17106 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17107 lots of percentages everywhere.
17110 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17111 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17112 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17113 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17114 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17117 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17118 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17119 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17120 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17121 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17122 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17123 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17124 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17126 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17127 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17129 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17130 @findex gnus-update-format
17131 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17132 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17133 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17134 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17138 @node Formatting Basics
17139 @subsection Formatting Basics
17141 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17142 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17143 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17145 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17146 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17147 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17148 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17149 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17152 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17153 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17154 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17155 less than 4 characters wide.
17158 @node Mode Line Formatting
17159 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17161 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17162 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17163 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17164 with the following two differences:
17169 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17172 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17173 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17174 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17175 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17176 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17177 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17178 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17183 @node Advanced Formatting
17184 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17186 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17187 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17188 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17189 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17191 These are the valid modifiers:
17196 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17200 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17205 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17208 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17213 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17216 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17219 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17222 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17226 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17227 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17228 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17229 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17230 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17231 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17232 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17234 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17235 last operation, padding.
17237 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17238 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
17239 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
17240 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
17241 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
17242 the look of your lines.
17243 @xref{Compilation}.
17246 @node User-Defined Specs
17247 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17249 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17250 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17251 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17252 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17253 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17254 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17255 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17256 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17257 should protect against that.
17259 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17260 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17261 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17262 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17266 @node Formatting Fonts
17267 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17269 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17270 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17271 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17272 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17275 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17276 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17277 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17278 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17279 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17280 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17282 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17283 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17284 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17285 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17286 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17287 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17288 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17289 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17291 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17294 ;; Create three face types.
17295 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17296 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17298 ;; We want the article count to be in
17299 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17300 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17301 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17303 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17304 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17306 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17307 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17308 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17311 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17312 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17314 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17315 mode-line variables.
17318 @node Windows Configuration
17319 @section Windows Configuration
17320 @cindex windows configuration
17322 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17324 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17325 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17326 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17327 @code{t} by default.
17329 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17330 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17332 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17333 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17334 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17337 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17338 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17339 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17343 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17344 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17345 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17346 possible names is listed below.
17348 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17349 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17352 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17356 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17357 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17358 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17359 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17360 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17361 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17362 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17363 size spec per split.
17365 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17366 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17367 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17368 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17369 present) gets focus.
17371 Here's a more complicated example:
17374 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17375 (summary 0.25 point)
17376 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17380 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17381 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17382 occupy, not a percentage.
17384 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17385 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17386 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17387 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17388 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17391 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17394 (article (horizontal 1.0
17399 (summary 0.25 point)
17404 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17405 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17407 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17408 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17409 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17410 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17411 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17413 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17414 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17415 lines from the splits.
17417 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17421 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17422 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17423 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17424 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17425 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17426 size = number | frame-params
17427 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17430 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17431 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17432 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17433 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17435 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17436 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17437 @cindex window height
17438 @cindex window width
17439 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17440 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17441 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17442 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17443 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17444 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17446 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17447 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17448 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17449 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17451 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17452 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17453 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17454 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17455 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17456 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17457 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17458 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17459 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17460 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17461 configuration list.
17464 (gnus-configure-frame
17468 (article 0.3 point))
17476 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17477 @code{frame} split:
17480 (gnus-configure-frame
17483 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17485 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17486 (user-position . t)
17487 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17492 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17493 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17494 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17495 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17496 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17497 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17498 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17499 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17501 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17502 be found in its default value.
17504 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17505 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17506 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17510 (message (horizontal 1.0
17511 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17513 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17518 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17519 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17520 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17523 (message (frame 1.0
17524 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17525 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17526 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17527 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17528 (name . "Message"))
17529 (message 1.0 point))))
17532 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17533 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17534 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17535 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17536 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17539 (gnus-add-configuration
17540 '(article (vertical 1.0
17542 (summary .25 point)
17546 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17547 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17548 Gnus has been loaded.
17550 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17551 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17552 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17553 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17554 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17556 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17557 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17558 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17561 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17565 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17566 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17581 (gnus-add-configuration
17584 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17586 (summary 0.16 point)
17589 (gnus-add-configuration
17592 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17593 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17599 @node Faces and Fonts
17600 @section Faces and Fonts
17605 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17606 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17607 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17612 @section Compilation
17613 @cindex compilation
17614 @cindex byte-compilation
17616 @findex gnus-compile
17618 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17619 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17620 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
17621 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
17622 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
17623 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17624 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17625 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17628 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17629 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17630 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17631 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
17632 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17635 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
17636 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17637 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
17638 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
17639 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
17644 @section Mode Lines
17647 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17648 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17649 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17650 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17651 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17652 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17653 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17656 @cindex display-time
17658 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17659 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17660 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17661 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17662 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17663 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17664 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17665 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17668 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17670 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17671 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17673 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17674 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17675 (length display-time-string)))))
17678 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17679 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17680 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17681 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17682 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17685 @node Highlighting and Menus
17686 @section Highlighting and Menus
17688 @cindex highlighting
17691 @vindex gnus-visual
17692 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17693 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17694 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17697 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17698 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17701 @item group-highlight
17702 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17703 @item summary-highlight
17704 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17705 @item article-highlight
17706 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17708 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17710 Create menus in the group buffer.
17712 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17714 Create menus in the article buffer.
17716 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17718 Create menus in the server buffer.
17720 Create menus in the score buffers.
17722 Create menus in all buffers.
17725 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17726 buffers, you could say something like:
17729 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17732 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17735 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17738 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17739 in all Gnus buffers.
17741 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17744 @item gnus-mouse-face
17745 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17746 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17747 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17751 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17755 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17756 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17757 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17759 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17760 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17761 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17763 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17764 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17765 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17767 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17768 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17769 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17771 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17772 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17773 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17775 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17776 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17777 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17788 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17789 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17790 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17791 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17792 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17796 @vindex gnus-carpal
17797 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17798 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17799 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17804 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17805 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17806 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17808 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17809 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17810 Face used on buttons.
17812 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17813 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17814 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17816 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17817 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17818 Buttons in the group buffer.
17820 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17821 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17822 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17824 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17825 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17826 Buttons in the server buffer.
17828 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17829 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17830 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17833 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17834 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17835 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17843 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17844 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17845 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17846 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17847 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17849 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17850 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17851 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17853 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17854 been idle for thirty minutes:
17857 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17860 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17864 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17867 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17868 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17869 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17871 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17872 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17873 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17874 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17876 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17877 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17878 @var{idle} minutes.
17880 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17881 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17884 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17885 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17886 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17888 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17889 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17890 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17891 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17893 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17894 your @file{.gnus} file:
17896 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17898 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17901 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17902 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17903 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17904 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17905 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17906 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17907 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17908 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17909 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17910 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17911 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17913 @findex gnus-demon-init
17914 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17915 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17916 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17917 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17918 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17920 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17921 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17922 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17931 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17932 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17934 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17935 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17936 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17937 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17940 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17941 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17942 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17943 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17945 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17946 this will make spam disappear.
17948 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17951 @item gnus-use-nocem
17952 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17953 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17956 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17957 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17958 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17959 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17960 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17962 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17963 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17964 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17965 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17966 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
17967 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17969 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
17970 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
17972 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17973 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17974 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17975 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17976 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17977 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17978 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17979 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17980 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17981 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17983 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17984 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17987 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17990 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17991 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17994 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17997 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18000 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18001 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18003 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18004 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18005 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18006 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18008 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18009 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18012 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18014 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18022 This might be dangerous, though.
18024 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18025 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18026 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18027 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18029 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18030 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18031 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18032 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18033 might then see old spam.
18035 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18036 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18037 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18038 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18039 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18042 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18043 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18044 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18045 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18049 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18050 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18051 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18052 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18059 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18060 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18061 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18063 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18064 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18065 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18066 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18067 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18068 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18069 @code{undo} function.
18071 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18072 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18073 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18074 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18075 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18076 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18077 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18078 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18079 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18080 never be totally undoable.
18082 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18083 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18085 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18086 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18087 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
18088 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18093 @section Moderation
18096 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18097 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18098 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18101 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18105 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18108 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18110 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18115 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18116 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18117 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18120 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18121 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18124 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18125 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18129 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18132 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18133 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18137 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18138 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18141 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18145 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18146 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18147 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18148 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18161 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18162 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18163 over your shoulder as you read news.
18166 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18167 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18168 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18169 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18170 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18175 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18177 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18186 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18187 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18188 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18189 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18190 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18191 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18192 @code{GIF} formats.
18195 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18196 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18197 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18198 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18199 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18201 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18202 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18203 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18204 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18205 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18206 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18209 @node Picon Requirements
18210 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18212 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18213 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18216 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18217 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18218 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18220 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18221 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18222 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18223 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18224 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18228 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18230 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18231 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18234 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18235 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18238 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18239 containing the Picons databases.
18241 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18244 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18245 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18250 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18258 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18259 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18260 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18261 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18262 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18267 @item gnus-picons-database
18268 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18269 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18270 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18271 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18272 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18273 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18275 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18276 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18277 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18278 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18279 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18280 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18281 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18283 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18284 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18285 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18286 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18287 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18288 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18289 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18290 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18292 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18293 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18294 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18299 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18300 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18302 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18303 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18306 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18308 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18309 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18310 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18311 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18313 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18314 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18315 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18321 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18322 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18330 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18331 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18332 don't need to worry about.
18336 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18337 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18338 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18339 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18341 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18342 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18343 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18344 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18346 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18347 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18348 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18349 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18350 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18352 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18353 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18354 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18355 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18356 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18357 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18358 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18360 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18361 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18362 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18363 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18365 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18366 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18367 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18368 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18369 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18370 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18371 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18373 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18374 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18375 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18376 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18378 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18379 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18380 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18381 Defaults to @code{t}.
18383 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18384 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18385 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18386 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18388 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18389 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18390 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18392 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18393 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18394 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18395 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18397 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18398 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
18400 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18401 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18402 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18403 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18404 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18405 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18406 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18407 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18418 @subsection Smileys
18423 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18428 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18429 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18431 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18432 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18435 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18438 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18439 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18440 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18441 text and maps that to file names.
18443 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18444 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18445 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18446 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18447 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18448 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18450 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18451 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18453 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18454 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18455 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18457 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18458 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18462 @item smiley-data-directory
18463 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18464 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18466 @item smiley-flesh-color
18467 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18468 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18470 @item smiley-features-color
18471 @vindex smiley-features-color
18472 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18474 @item smiley-tongue-color
18475 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18476 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18478 @item smiley-circle-color
18479 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18480 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18482 @item smiley-mouse-face
18483 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18484 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18490 @subsection Toolbar
18500 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18501 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18502 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18503 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18504 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18506 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18507 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18508 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18510 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18511 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18512 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18514 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18515 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18516 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18522 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18525 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18526 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18527 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18528 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18529 unusual directory structure.
18531 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18532 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18533 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18534 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18536 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18537 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18538 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18539 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18540 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18541 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18543 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18544 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18545 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18559 @node Fuzzy Matching
18560 @section Fuzzy Matching
18561 @cindex fuzzy matching
18563 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18564 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18566 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18567 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18568 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18570 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18571 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18572 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18573 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18574 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18577 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18578 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18582 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18584 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18585 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18586 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18587 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18588 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18589 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18590 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18591 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18594 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18595 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18596 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18597 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18598 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18599 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18603 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18604 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18606 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18607 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18608 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18609 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18610 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18611 part of the mail address.)
18614 (setq message-default-news-headers
18615 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18618 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18619 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18624 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18625 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18626 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18632 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18633 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18634 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18635 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18637 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18638 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18639 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18640 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18641 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18642 your fancy split rule in this way:
18647 (to "larsi" "misc")
18651 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18652 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18653 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18654 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18655 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18657 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18658 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18659 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18660 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18661 cosmic balance somewhat.
18663 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18664 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18665 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18666 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18669 @node Various Various
18670 @section Various Various
18676 @item gnus-home-directory
18677 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18678 defaults to @file{~/}.
18680 @item gnus-directory
18681 @vindex gnus-directory
18682 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18683 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18684 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18686 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18687 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18688 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18689 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18691 @item gnus-default-directory
18692 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18693 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18694 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18695 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18696 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18697 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18698 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18701 @vindex gnus-verbose
18702 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18703 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18704 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18705 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18706 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18708 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18709 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18710 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18711 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18713 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18714 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18715 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18716 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18717 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18718 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18719 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18720 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18721 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18722 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18724 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18725 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18726 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18727 read when doing the operation described above.
18729 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18730 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18732 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18733 @cindex characters in file names
18734 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18735 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18736 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18739 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18743 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18744 Windows (phooey) systems.
18746 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18747 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18748 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18749 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18750 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18752 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18753 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18754 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18755 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18756 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18758 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18759 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18760 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18762 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18763 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18765 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18766 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18767 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18768 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18771 IMAP users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18780 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18781 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18783 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18785 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18791 Not because of victories @*
18794 but for the common sunshine,@*
18796 the largess of the spring.
18800 but for the day's work done@*
18801 as well as I was able;@*
18802 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18803 but at the common table.@*
18808 @chapter Appendices
18811 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18812 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18813 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18814 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18815 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18816 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18817 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18818 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18826 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18827 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18829 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18830 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18831 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18832 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18833 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18835 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18836 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18837 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18838 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18839 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18840 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18842 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18843 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18844 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18845 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18848 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18849 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18850 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18851 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18852 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18853 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18854 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18855 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18856 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18857 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18861 @node Gnus Versions
18862 @subsection Gnus Versions
18863 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18865 @cindex September Gnus
18866 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18868 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18869 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18870 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18872 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18873 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18875 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18876 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18878 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18879 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18881 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18882 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18885 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18886 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18887 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18888 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18889 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18893 @node Other Gnus Versions
18894 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18897 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18898 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18899 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18900 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18902 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18903 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18904 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18905 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18912 What's the point of Gnus?
18914 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18915 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18916 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18917 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18918 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18919 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18920 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18921 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18922 keep track of millions of people who post?
18924 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18925 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18926 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18927 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18928 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18929 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18930 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18931 every one of you to explore and invent.
18933 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18934 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18937 @node Compatibility
18938 @subsection Compatibility
18940 @cindex compatibility
18941 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18942 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18943 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18948 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18952 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18955 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18958 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18959 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18960 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18961 important variables have their values copied into their global
18962 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18963 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18965 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18966 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18967 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18968 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18969 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18973 @cindex highlighting
18974 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18975 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18976 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18977 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18978 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18979 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18982 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18983 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18984 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18985 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18987 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18988 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18989 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18990 to stop doing it the old way.
18992 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18994 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18996 @cindex reporting bugs
18998 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18999 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19000 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19002 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19003 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19004 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19005 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19010 @subsection Conformity
19012 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19013 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19020 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19024 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19026 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19027 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19028 We do have some breaches to this one.
19034 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19035 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19036 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19037 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19038 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19043 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19044 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19045 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19046 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19050 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19051 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19056 @subsection Emacsen
19062 Gnus should work on :
19070 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
19074 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19075 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19076 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
19077 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
19078 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
19080 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19081 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19082 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19086 @node Gnus Development
19087 @subsection Gnus Development
19089 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19090 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19091 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19092 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19093 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19094 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19095 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19096 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19098 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19099 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19100 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19101 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19102 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19105 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19106 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19107 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19108 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19109 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19111 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19112 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19113 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19114 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19115 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19116 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19117 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19118 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19119 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
19120 can't be assumed to do so.
19125 @subsection Contributors
19126 @cindex contributors
19128 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19129 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19130 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19131 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19132 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19133 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19134 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19135 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19136 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19137 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19139 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19145 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19148 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19149 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19150 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19151 functionality and stuff.
19154 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19155 well as numerous other things).
19158 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19161 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19164 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19167 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19168 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19171 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19174 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19175 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19178 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19181 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19184 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19187 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19190 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19191 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19194 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19197 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19200 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19203 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19207 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19210 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19213 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19216 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19217 well as autoconf support.
19221 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19222 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19224 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19233 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19237 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19247 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19262 Massimo Campostrini,
19267 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19268 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19272 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19275 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19281 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19286 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19290 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19298 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19300 Michelangelo Grigni,
19304 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19306 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19308 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19315 François Felix Ingrand,
19316 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19317 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19319 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19330 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19331 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19333 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19334 Thor Kristoffersen,
19337 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19355 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19356 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19363 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19368 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19372 John McClary Prevost,
19378 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19383 Christian von Roques,
19386 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19393 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19395 Randal L. Schwartz,
19409 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19414 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19430 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19435 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19436 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19437 (550kB and counting).
19439 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19442 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19443 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19447 @subsection New Features
19448 @cindex new features
19451 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19452 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19453 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19454 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19457 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19458 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19459 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19463 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19465 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19470 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19471 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19474 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19475 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19478 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19481 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19482 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19483 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19486 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19487 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19488 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19489 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19492 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19493 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19496 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19497 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19498 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19501 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19502 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19505 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19506 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19507 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19510 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19511 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19512 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19515 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19516 the @file{.emacs} file.
19519 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19520 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19523 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19524 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19527 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19528 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19531 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19532 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19535 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19536 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19539 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19542 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19543 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19546 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19547 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19550 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19551 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19554 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19557 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19558 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19561 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19565 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19569 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19570 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19573 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19579 @node September Gnus
19580 @subsubsection September Gnus
19584 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19588 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19593 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19594 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19598 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19599 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19603 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19607 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19608 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19611 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19615 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19618 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19621 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19624 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19628 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19629 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19632 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19636 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19640 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19644 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19648 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19651 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19652 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19655 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19659 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19660 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19663 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19666 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19667 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19668 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19671 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19675 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19678 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19682 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19683 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19686 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19687 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19690 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19691 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19694 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19695 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19696 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19699 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19700 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19703 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19706 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19709 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19712 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19715 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19716 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19719 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19723 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19726 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19731 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19734 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19738 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19741 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19745 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19748 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19751 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19752 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19755 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19756 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19760 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19761 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19764 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19768 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19769 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19772 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19775 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19779 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19783 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19784 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19787 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19791 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19792 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19795 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19796 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19799 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19803 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19806 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19809 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19815 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19817 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19821 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19828 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19831 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19832 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19835 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19836 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19840 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19841 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19844 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19847 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19848 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19851 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19855 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19856 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19860 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19861 Server Internals}).
19864 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19868 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19871 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19872 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19875 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19876 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19877 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19880 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19881 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19884 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19885 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19888 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19892 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19893 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19896 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19897 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19900 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19904 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19907 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19911 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19912 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19915 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19916 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19919 A new command for reading collections of documents
19920 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19921 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19924 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19928 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19929 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19932 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19933 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19934 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19937 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19938 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19942 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19946 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19950 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19955 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19959 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19963 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19964 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19967 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19973 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19975 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19980 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19981 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19982 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19985 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19986 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19987 group, which is created automatically.
19990 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19994 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19997 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19998 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20001 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20005 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20008 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20009 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20012 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20015 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20016 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20019 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20020 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20023 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20024 control over simplification.
20027 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20030 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20034 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20037 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20040 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20041 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20042 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20045 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20046 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20049 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20053 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20054 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20057 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20058 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20061 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20065 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20068 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20071 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20072 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20075 A new function for citing in Message has been
20076 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20079 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20082 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20086 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20087 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20090 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20091 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20094 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20097 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20102 @node Newest Features
20103 @subsection Newest Features
20106 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
20109 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
20111 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
20112 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
20115 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
20120 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
20121 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
20124 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
20127 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
20130 facep is not declared.
20133 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
20134 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
20137 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
20142 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
20143 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
20144 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
20145 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
20146 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
20147 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
20148 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
20153 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
20156 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
20159 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
20161 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
20162 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
20164 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
20166 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
20168 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
20169 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
20171 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
20173 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
20174 be marked as unread.
20176 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
20178 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
20180 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
20181 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
20183 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
20185 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
20187 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
20188 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
20190 topics that contain just groups with ticked
20191 articles aren't displayed.
20193 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
20195 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
20196 make the mail groups killed.
20198 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
20200 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
20201 and articles have to be removed.
20203 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
20206 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
20208 finding short score file names takes forever.
20210 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20212 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
20214 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
20216 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
20218 nnweb doesn't work properly.
20220 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
20222 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
20223 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
20227 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
20229 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
20230 bar and the Gnus bar.
20233 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
20234 `(canonize-message-id id)'
20235 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
20236 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
20237 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
20238 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
20243 nnml .overview directory with splits.
20247 postponed commands.
20249 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
20251 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
20254 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
20255 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
20257 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
20258 inherit copy prompts and save files.
20260 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
20262 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
20263 for backends that support that.
20265 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
20267 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
20268 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
20270 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
20271 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
20273 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
20275 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
20277 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
20279 server mode command: close/open all connections
20281 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
20282 has been changed before using it.
20284 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
20286 hide (sub)threads with low score.
20288 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
20290 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
20292 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
20293 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
20295 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
20296 contain groups that match a regexp.
20298 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
20301 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
20304 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
20305 from subject lines.
20307 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
20309 nntp-ping-before-connect
20311 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
20313 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
20314 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
20316 message annotations.
20318 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
20320 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
20321 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
20323 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
20328 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
20330 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
20332 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
20334 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
20335 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
20337 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
20339 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
20341 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
20342 finds and generate proper active ranges.
20344 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
20345 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
20347 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
20349 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
20351 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
20352 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
20354 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
20356 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
20358 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
20359 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
20362 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
20364 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
20366 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
20367 `C-c C-c' when posting.
20369 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
20372 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
20373 should be marker as expirable.
20375 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
20377 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
20378 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
20380 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
20381 Also consult Date headers.
20383 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
20385 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
20387 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
20388 Message-ID, delete the "original".
20390 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
20391 into a See-Also header.
20393 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
20395 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
20397 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
20398 should be listed as such and not as "K".
20400 generate font names dynamically.
20402 score file mode auto-alist.
20404 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
20405 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
20407 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
20408 absolutely all headers there is.
20410 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
20411 and pipe them to the process.
20413 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
20414 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
20415 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
20417 function for starting to edit a file to put into
20418 the current mail group.
20420 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
20422 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
20423 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
20425 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
20426 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
20428 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
20430 when replying to several process-marked articles,
20431 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
20433 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
20434 groups it has been mailed to.
20436 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
20438 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
20440 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20442 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20443 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20445 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20446 newlines) should be ignored.
20448 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20449 groups in subtopics as well.
20451 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20453 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20456 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20458 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20460 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20462 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20464 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20466 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20468 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20469 or the formatted article.
20471 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20473 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20474 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20476 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20478 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20480 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20482 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20483 even unread articles.
20485 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20487 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20489 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20491 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20493 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20495 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20498 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20499 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20501 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20502 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20504 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20506 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20508 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20509 from a particular server? Hm.
20511 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20512 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20514 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20516 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20517 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20519 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20520 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20522 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20523 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20524 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20527 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20528 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20530 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20532 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20534 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20536 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20539 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20542 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20543 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20545 command to show and edit group scores
20547 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20550 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20552 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20554 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20555 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20558 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20559 that are of that length.
20561 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20563 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20565 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20567 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20569 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20571 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20573 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20574 a score lower than this number.
20576 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20578 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20580 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20581 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20583 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20585 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20586 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20588 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20591 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20592 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20593 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20594 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20596 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20599 command to remove all topic stuff.
20601 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20602 and splitting the resulting digests.
20604 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20606 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20608 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20609 matches an alist -- before saving.
20611 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20613 variable to activate each group before entering them
20614 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20616 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20617 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20619 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20620 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20622 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20624 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20625 of several groups at once.
20627 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20628 matches some regexp(s).
20630 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20632 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20634 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20636 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20638 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20640 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20642 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20644 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20645 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20646 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20647 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20649 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20650 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20652 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20654 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20655 recently cited text.
20657 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20659 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20662 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20663 server and just read the articles in the server
20665 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20666 value of nnoo variables.
20668 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20670 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20671 listed in each group info.
20673 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20676 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20677 should only be applied to some groups.
20679 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20680 mail-copies-to: never.
20682 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20683 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20685 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20687 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20690 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20693 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20695 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20698 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20702 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20704 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20705 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20706 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20707 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20708 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20710 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20711 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20718 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20719 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20721 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20722 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20724 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20725 "Return the date the group was last read."
20726 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20731 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20732 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20733 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20734 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20738 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20739 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20741 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20744 They could be used like this:
20748 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20749 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20750 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20752 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20754 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20757 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20760 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20761 affect the summary line format.
20765 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20767 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20768 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20770 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20773 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20775 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20777 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20779 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20781 - For other files, just find them normally.
20783 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20784 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20787 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20788 tell him what you are doing.
20791 Currently, I get prompted:
20795 decend into sci.something ?
20799 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20800 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20801 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20802 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20805 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20806 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20807 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20808 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20811 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20812 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20818 more than n blank lines
20820 more than m identical lines
20821 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20823 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20827 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20828 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20829 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20830 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20833 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20834 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20835 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20836 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20839 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20842 soup - bowl of soup
20843 score below - dim light bulb
20844 score over - bright light bulb
20847 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20852 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20853 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20854 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20855 if (articles-selected)
20856 start-reading-selected-articles;
20857 junk-unread-articles;
20862 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20863 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20864 select-thread-under-cursor;
20866 select-article-under-cursor;
20870 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20871 if (more-pages-in-article)
20873 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20880 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20881 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20882 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20885 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20886 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20887 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20888 the wildcard expression).
20891 It would be nice if it also handled
20893 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20895 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20900 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20901 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20902 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20903 article versions) variable.
20905 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20907 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20908 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20912 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20915 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20916 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20917 (message-sent-hook).
20919 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20922 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20926 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20927 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20930 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20931 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20932 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20935 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20936 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20940 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20943 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20947 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20948 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20951 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20952 value of the signature file.
20955 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20956 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20959 (setq message-tab-alist
20960 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20961 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20963 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20967 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20970 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20973 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20976 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20977 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20980 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20983 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20984 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20985 do more gathering by subject.
20988 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20989 article numerical order.
20992 (gnus-thread-total-score
20993 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20997 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
21000 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
21001 in the summary buffer.
21004 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
21005 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
21008 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
21009 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
21010 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
21011 and/or newsgroup name.
21014 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
21017 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
21020 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
21023 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
21024 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
21025 will automatically get the process mark.
21028 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
21029 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
21030 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
21033 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
21037 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
21038 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
21041 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
21042 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
21046 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
21047 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
21050 be able to post via DejaNews.
21053 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
21056 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
21057 allow them to be displayed separately.
21060 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
21061 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
21064 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
21065 articles that match a certain From header.
21068 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
21069 saving living summary buffers.
21072 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
21073 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
21076 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
21077 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
21080 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
21081 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
21084 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
21085 (goto-char (point-min))
21086 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
21087 (replace-match "`" t t))
21088 (goto-char (point-min))
21089 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
21090 (replace-match "'" t t))
21091 (goto-char (point-min))
21092 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
21093 (replace-match "\"" t t))
21094 (goto-char (point-min))
21095 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
21096 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
21101 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
21103 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
21104 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
21105 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
21106 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
21110 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
21113 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
21114 numbers and match on the age of the article.
21118 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
21119 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
21120 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
21122 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
21123 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
21125 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
21126 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
21131 all commands that react to the process mark should push
21132 the current process mark set onto the stack.
21135 gnus-article-hide-pgp
21136 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
21138 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
21140 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
21141 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
21144 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
21145 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
21148 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
21152 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
21153 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
21156 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
21159 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
21162 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
21165 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
21169 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
21175 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
21178 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
21182 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
21183 X characters in the body.
21186 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
21189 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
21192 format spec to "tab" to a position.
21195 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
21198 command to display all dormant articles.
21201 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
21204 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
21205 to something someone else has said.
21208 Read Netscape discussion groups:
21209 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
21212 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
21213 the displayed version.
21216 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
21220 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
21223 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
21224 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
21225 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
21229 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
21230 in the head or body.
21233 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
21236 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
21239 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
21240 in a special, unique buffer.
21243 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
21246 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
21247 is less than a certain number of days old.
21250 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
21253 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
21256 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
21257 file, for instance.
21260 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
21261 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
21262 dummy root instead of the first article.
21265 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
21266 topics for displaying.
21269 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
21270 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
21273 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
21276 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
21277 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
21278 summary buffer for each article.
21281 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
21284 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
21288 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
21291 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
21295 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
21298 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
21301 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
21302 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
21305 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
21306 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
21309 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
21310 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
21313 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
21314 timeout for all commands.
21317 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
21318 It should go somewhere else.
21321 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
21322 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
21323 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
21325 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
21326 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
21328 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
21329 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
21336 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
21337 --text follows this line--
21338 Sorry I killfiled you...
21340 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21342 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21347 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
21351 - Edit article's summary line.
21353 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
21355 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
21361 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
21365 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
21366 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
21370 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
21373 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
21376 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
21377 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
21378 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
21379 turn into a [-] button.)
21382 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
21383 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
21384 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
21385 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
21388 Handle external-body parts.
21391 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
21395 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
21398 (body "whatever.text")
21402 Be able to run `J u' from summary buffers.
21405 Solve the halting problem.
21414 @section The Manual
21418 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21419 either @code{texi2dvi}
21421 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21422 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21424 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21426 The following conventions have been used:
21431 This is a @samp{string}
21434 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21437 This is a @file{file}
21440 This is a @code{symbol}
21444 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21448 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21451 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21454 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21457 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21458 ever get them confused.
21462 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21463 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21464 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21465 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21466 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21467 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21468 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21474 @node On Writing Manuals
21475 @section On Writing Manuals
21477 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21478 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21479 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21480 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21481 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21482 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21485 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21486 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21487 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21490 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21491 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21496 @section Terminology
21498 @cindex terminology
21503 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21504 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21505 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21506 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21507 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21511 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21512 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21513 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21514 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21518 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21522 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21527 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21528 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21529 is all done by the backends.
21533 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21534 default, way of getting news.
21538 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21539 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21544 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21545 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21549 A message that has been posted as news.
21552 @cindex mail message
21553 A message that has been mailed.
21557 A mail message or news article
21561 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21566 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21571 A line from the head of an article.
21575 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21576 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21580 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21581 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21582 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21583 normal @sc{head} format.
21587 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21588 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21589 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21590 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21591 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21592 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21594 @item killed groups
21595 @cindex killed groups
21596 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21597 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21599 @item zombie groups
21600 @cindex zombie groups
21601 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21604 @cindex active file
21605 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21606 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21607 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21610 @cindex bogus groups
21611 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21612 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21613 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21616 @cindex activating groups
21617 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21618 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21619 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21623 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21625 @item select method
21626 @cindex select method
21627 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21630 @item virtual server
21631 @cindex virtual server
21632 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21633 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21634 whole is a virtual server.
21638 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21639 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21642 @item ephemeral groups
21643 @cindex ephemeral groups
21644 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21645 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21646 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21649 @cindex solid groups
21650 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21651 group buffer are solid groups.
21653 @item sparse articles
21654 @cindex sparse articles
21655 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21656 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21660 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21661 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21665 @cindex thread root
21666 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21667 articles in the thread.
21671 An article that has responses.
21675 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21679 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21680 specified by RFC 1153.
21686 @node Customization
21687 @section Customization
21688 @cindex general customization
21690 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21691 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21692 for some quite common situations.
21695 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21696 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21697 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21698 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21702 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21703 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21705 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21706 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21707 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21711 @item gnus-read-active-file
21712 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21713 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21714 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21715 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21716 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21718 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21719 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21720 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21721 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21725 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21726 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21728 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21729 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21730 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21734 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21735 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21736 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21737 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21738 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21740 @item gnus-visible-headers
21741 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21742 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21743 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21744 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21746 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21748 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21749 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21750 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21753 @item gnus-use-full-window
21754 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21755 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21756 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21757 want to read them anyway.
21759 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21760 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21763 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21764 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21765 lines, which might save some time.
21769 @node Little Disk Space
21770 @subsection Little Disk Space
21773 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21774 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21778 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21779 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21780 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21781 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21784 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21785 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21786 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21787 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21790 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21791 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21792 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21793 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21794 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21800 @subsection Slow Machine
21801 @cindex slow machine
21803 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21804 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21806 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21807 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21809 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21810 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21811 summary buffer faster.
21815 @node Troubleshooting
21816 @section Troubleshooting
21817 @cindex troubleshooting
21819 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21827 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21830 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21831 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21835 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21836 like @samp{T-gnus 6.14.* (based on Pterodactyl Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*,
21837 FLIM 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you
21838 get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some
21839 old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21842 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21846 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21847 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21848 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21849 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21850 something like that.
21853 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21856 @cindex reporting bugs
21858 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21860 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21861 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21862 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21863 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21865 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21866 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21867 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21868 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21871 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21872 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21873 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21874 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21875 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21876 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21878 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21879 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21880 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21883 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21884 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21886 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21887 @cindex ding mailing list
21888 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21889 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21893 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21894 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21896 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21897 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21898 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21899 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21902 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21903 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21904 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21905 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21906 and general methods of operation.
21909 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21910 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21911 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21912 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21913 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21914 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21915 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21916 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21917 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21921 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21922 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21923 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21924 @cindex utility functions
21926 @cindex internal variables
21928 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21929 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21930 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21934 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21935 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21936 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21938 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21939 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21940 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21942 @item gnus-group-real-name
21943 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21944 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21947 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21948 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21949 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21950 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21952 @item gnus-get-info
21953 @findex gnus-get-info
21954 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21956 @item gnus-group-unread
21957 @findex gnus-group-unread
21958 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21962 @findex gnus-active
21963 The active entry for @var{group}.
21965 @item gnus-set-active
21966 @findex gnus-set-active
21967 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21969 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21970 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21971 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21974 @item gnus-continuum-version
21975 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21976 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21977 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21980 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21981 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21982 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21984 @item gnus-news-group-p
21985 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21986 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21988 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21989 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21990 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21992 @item gnus-server-to-method
21993 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21994 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21996 @item gnus-server-equal
21997 @findex gnus-server-equal
21998 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22000 @item gnus-group-native-p
22001 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22002 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22004 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22005 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22006 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22008 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22009 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22010 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22012 @item group-group-find-parameter
22013 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22014 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22015 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22017 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22018 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22019 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22021 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22022 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22023 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22025 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22026 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22027 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
22028 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22031 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22035 @item gnus-read-method
22036 @findex gnus-read-method
22037 Prompts the user for a select method.
22042 @node Backend Interface
22043 @subsection Backend Interface
22045 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22046 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22047 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
22048 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22049 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22050 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22052 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
22053 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22054 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
22055 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22056 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22057 been opened, the function should fail.
22059 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22060 name. Take this example:
22064 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22065 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22068 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22069 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22071 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22072 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22073 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22075 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22076 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22077 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22079 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22080 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22081 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22082 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22083 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22084 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22087 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
22088 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
22089 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22090 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22093 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
22096 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22099 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22100 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22101 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22102 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
22103 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22104 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
22108 @node Required Backend Functions
22109 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
22113 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22115 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22116 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
22117 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
22118 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22120 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22121 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22122 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22123 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22125 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22126 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22127 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22128 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22129 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
22130 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22131 number, do maximum fetches.
22133 Here's an example HEAD:
22136 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22137 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22138 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22139 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22140 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22141 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22142 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22144 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22145 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22146 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22150 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22151 these in the data buffer.
22153 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22157 head = error / valid-head
22158 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22159 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22160 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22161 header = <text> eol
22164 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22165 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22169 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22170 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22171 field = <text except TAB>
22174 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22178 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22180 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22181 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22183 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
22184 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22185 server. In fact, it should do so.
22187 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22188 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22191 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22193 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22194 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22197 There should be no data returned.
22200 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22202 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
22203 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
22204 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22205 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22207 There should be no data returned.
22210 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22212 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22213 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22214 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22215 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22217 There should be no data returned.
22220 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22222 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22224 There should be no data returned.
22227 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22229 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22230 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22231 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22232 it would be nice if that were possible.
22234 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22235 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22236 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22237 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22238 into its article buffer.
22240 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22241 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22242 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22243 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22244 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22245 on successful article retrieval.
22248 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22250 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22251 making @var{group} the current group.
22253 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22256 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22259 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22262 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22263 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22264 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22265 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22266 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22267 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22268 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22269 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22272 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22273 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22274 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22278 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22280 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22281 a no-op on most backends.
22283 There should be no data returned.
22286 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22288 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22291 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22294 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22295 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22298 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22299 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22302 active-file = *active-line
22303 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22305 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22308 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22309 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22310 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22313 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22315 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22316 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22317 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22318 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22319 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22320 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22322 There should be no result data from this function.
22327 @node Optional Backend Functions
22328 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
22332 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22334 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22335 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22336 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22338 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22339 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22340 former is in the same format as the data from
22341 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22342 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22345 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22349 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22351 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
22352 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
22353 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22354 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22355 should return the (altered) group info.
22357 There should be no result data from this function.
22360 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22362 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22363 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22364 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22365 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22366 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22367 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22368 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22369 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22371 There should be no result data from this function.
22374 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22376 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22377 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22378 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22379 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22380 propagate the mark information to the server.
22382 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22385 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22388 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
22389 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
22390 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
22391 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
22392 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
22393 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
22394 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
22395 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
22396 not limit itself to these.
22398 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22399 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22400 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22401 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22403 An example action list:
22406 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22407 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22408 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22411 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22412 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22414 There should be no result data from this function.
22416 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22418 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
22419 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22420 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22421 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
22422 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22424 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22425 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22426 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22429 There should be no result data from this function.
22432 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22434 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22435 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22436 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22437 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22438 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22439 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22440 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22442 There should be no result data from this function.
22445 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22447 The result data from this function should be a description of
22451 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22453 description = <text>
22456 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22458 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22459 groups available on the server.
22462 description-buffer = *description-line
22466 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22468 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22469 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22470 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22473 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22475 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22477 There should be no return data.
22480 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22482 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22483 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22484 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22485 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22486 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22489 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22492 There should be no result data returned.
22495 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22498 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22499 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22501 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22502 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22503 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22504 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22505 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22506 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22508 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22509 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22512 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22513 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22515 There should be no data returned.
22518 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22520 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22521 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22522 this function in short order.
22524 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22525 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22527 There should be no data returned.
22530 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22532 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22533 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22535 There should be no data returned.
22538 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22540 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22541 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22542 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22544 There should be no data returned.
22547 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22549 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22550 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22552 There should be no data returned.
22557 @node Error Messaging
22558 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22560 @findex nnheader-report
22561 @findex nnheader-get-report
22562 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22563 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22564 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22565 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22566 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22567 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22570 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22572 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22575 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22576 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22577 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22578 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22580 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22581 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22582 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22585 @node Writing New Backends
22586 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22588 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22589 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22590 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22591 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22592 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22595 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22596 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22597 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22599 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22600 package called @code{nnoo}.
22602 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22603 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22609 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22610 parameters. For instance:
22613 (nnoo-declare nndir
22617 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22618 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22621 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22622 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22623 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22625 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22626 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22627 a function in those backends.
22630 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22631 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22632 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22635 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22636 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22637 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22639 @item nnoo-define-basics
22640 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22644 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22648 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22649 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22650 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22652 @item nnoo-map-functions
22653 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22654 functions from the parent backends.
22657 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22658 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22659 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22662 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22663 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22664 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22665 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22668 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22669 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22670 haven't already been defined.
22676 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22680 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22681 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22682 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22687 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22690 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22691 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22695 (require 'nnheader)
22699 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22701 (nnoo-declare nndir
22704 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22705 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22706 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22708 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22709 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22712 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22713 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22714 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22716 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22717 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22719 ;;; Interface functions.
22721 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22723 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22724 (setq nndir-directory
22725 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22727 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22728 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22729 (push `(nndir-current-group
22730 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22732 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22733 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22735 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22737 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22738 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22739 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22740 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22741 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22745 nnmh-status-message
22747 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22753 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22754 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22756 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22757 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22758 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22759 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22761 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22762 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22767 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22770 The abilities can be:
22774 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22776 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22778 This backend supports both mail and news.
22780 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22783 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22784 articles and groups.
22786 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22787 true for almost all backends.
22788 @item prompt-address
22789 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22790 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22791 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22795 @node Mail-like Backends
22796 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22798 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22799 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22800 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22801 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22804 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22805 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22806 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22809 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22810 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22813 This function takes four parameters.
22817 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22820 @item exit-function
22821 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22823 @item temp-directory
22824 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22827 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22828 performed for one group only.
22831 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22832 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22833 find the article number assigned to this article.
22835 The function also uses the following variables:
22836 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22837 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22838 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22839 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22843 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22844 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22848 @node Score File Syntax
22849 @subsection Score File Syntax
22851 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22852 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22853 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22855 Here's a typical score file:
22859 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22866 BNF definition of a score file:
22869 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22870 element = rule / atom
22871 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22872 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22873 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22874 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22876 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22877 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22878 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22879 date-header = "date"
22880 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22881 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22882 score = "nil" / <integer>
22883 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22884 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22885 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22886 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22887 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22888 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22889 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22890 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22891 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22892 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22893 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22894 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22895 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22896 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22897 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22898 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22899 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22900 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22901 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22902 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22903 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22904 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22905 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22906 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22907 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22908 eval = "eval" space <form>
22909 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22912 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22915 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22916 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22917 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22918 one looong line, then that's ok.
22920 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22921 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22925 @subsection Headers
22927 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22928 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22929 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22930 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22932 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22933 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22934 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22935 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22936 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22937 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22938 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22940 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22941 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22942 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22943 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22944 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22946 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22947 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22953 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22954 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22956 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22957 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22958 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22959 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22961 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22965 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22968 is transformed into
22971 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22974 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22975 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22978 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22981 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22982 is slightly tricky:
22985 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22991 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22994 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23000 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23007 and is equal to the previous range.
23009 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23010 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23011 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23015 range = simple-range / normal-range
23016 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23017 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23018 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23019 number *[ " " contents ]
23022 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23023 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23024 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23025 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23026 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23031 @subsection Group Info
23033 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23034 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23035 describes the group.
23037 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23038 second is a more complex one:
23041 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23043 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23044 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23046 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23049 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23050 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23051 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23052 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23053 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23054 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23055 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23056 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23057 this section is about.
23059 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23060 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23061 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23063 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23066 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23067 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23068 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23069 group = quote <string> quote
23070 ralevel = rank / level
23071 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23072 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23073 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23075 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23076 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23077 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23078 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23081 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23082 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23085 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23086 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23089 @item gnus-info-group
23090 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23091 @findex gnus-info-group
23092 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23093 Get/set the group name.
23095 @item gnus-info-rank
23096 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23097 @findex gnus-info-rank
23098 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23099 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23101 @item gnus-info-level
23102 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23103 @findex gnus-info-level
23104 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23105 Get/set the group level.
23107 @item gnus-info-score
23108 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23109 @findex gnus-info-score
23110 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23111 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23113 @item gnus-info-read
23114 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23115 @findex gnus-info-read
23116 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23117 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23119 @item gnus-info-marks
23120 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23121 @findex gnus-info-marks
23122 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23123 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23125 @item gnus-info-method
23126 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23127 @findex gnus-info-method
23128 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23129 Get/set the group select method.
23131 @item gnus-info-params
23132 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23133 @findex gnus-info-params
23134 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23135 Get/set the group parameters.
23138 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23139 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23141 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23142 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23143 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23144 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23147 @node Extended Interactive
23148 @subsection Extended Interactive
23149 @cindex interactive
23150 @findex gnus-interactive
23152 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23153 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23154 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23157 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23158 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23163 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23164 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23165 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23166 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23167 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23168 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23169 @code{interactive}.
23171 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23176 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23177 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23181 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23182 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23183 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23186 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23190 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23194 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23200 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23201 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23205 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23206 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23207 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23209 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23210 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23211 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23212 Gnus, that's very useful.
23214 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23215 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23216 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23217 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23218 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23219 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23220 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23221 following function:
23224 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23228 (,function ,@@args))
23232 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23233 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23234 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23237 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23238 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23239 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23241 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23242 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23243 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23246 @node Various File Formats
23247 @subsection Various File Formats
23250 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23251 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23255 @node Active File Format
23256 @subsubsection Active File Format
23258 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23259 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23262 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23265 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23266 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23267 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23268 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23269 no.general 1000 900 y
23272 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23275 active = *group-line
23276 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
23277 group = <non-white-space string>
23279 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23280 low-number = <positive integer>
23281 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23284 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23285 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23288 @node Newsgroups File Format
23289 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23291 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23292 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23293 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23296 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23297 Here's the definition:
23301 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23302 group = <non-white-space string>
23304 description = <string>
23309 @node Emacs for Heathens
23310 @section Emacs for Heathens
23312 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23313 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23314 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23315 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23316 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23317 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23318 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23322 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23323 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23328 @subsection Keystrokes
23332 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23335 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23338 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23339 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23340 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23341 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23342 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23343 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23345 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23346 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23347 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23348 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23349 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23350 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23351 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23353 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23354 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23355 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23356 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23357 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23358 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23359 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23361 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23362 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23363 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23364 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23365 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23371 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23373 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23374 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23375 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23376 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23378 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23379 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23380 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23381 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23382 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23383 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23384 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23387 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23388 write the following:
23391 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23394 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23395 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23396 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23399 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23400 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23401 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23402 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23403 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23405 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23406 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23407 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23411 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23415 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23418 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23419 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23422 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23425 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23426 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23429 @include gnus-faq.texi