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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
276 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
279 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
280 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
281 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
282 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
283 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
284 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
285 License'' in the Emacs manual.
287 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
288 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
289 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
291 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
292 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
293 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
294 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
302 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
304 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
306 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
307 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
308 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
309 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
310 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
311 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
312 License'' in the Emacs manual.
314 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
315 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
316 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
318 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
319 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
320 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
321 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
327 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
329 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
332 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
333 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
335 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
336 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
337 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
338 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
339 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
340 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
341 License'' in the Emacs manual.
343 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
344 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
345 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
347 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
348 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
349 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
350 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
359 @top The gnus Newsreader
363 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
364 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
365 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
368 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
369 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
370 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
371 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
372 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
373 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
375 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
386 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
387 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
389 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
390 being accused of plagiarism:
392 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
393 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
394 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
395 can even read news with it!
397 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
398 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
399 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
400 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
401 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
407 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
408 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
409 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
410 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
411 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
412 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
413 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
414 * Various:: General purpose settings.
415 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
416 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
417 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
418 * Key Index:: Key Index.
421 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
425 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
426 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
427 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
428 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
429 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
430 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
439 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
440 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
441 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
445 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
446 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
447 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
448 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
449 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
450 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
451 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
452 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
453 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
454 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
455 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
456 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
457 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
458 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
459 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
460 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
461 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
465 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
466 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
467 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
471 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
472 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
473 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
474 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
475 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
479 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
480 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
481 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
482 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
486 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
487 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
488 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
489 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
490 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
491 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
492 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
493 * Threading:: How threads are made.
494 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
495 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
496 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
497 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
498 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
499 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
500 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
501 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
502 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
503 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
504 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
505 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
506 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
507 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
508 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
509 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
510 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
511 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
512 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
513 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
514 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
516 Summary Buffer Format
518 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
519 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
520 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
521 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
525 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
526 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
528 Reply, Followup and Post
530 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
531 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
532 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
533 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
537 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
538 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
539 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
540 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
541 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
542 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
546 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
547 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
549 Customizing Threading
551 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
552 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
553 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
554 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
558 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
559 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
560 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
561 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
562 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
563 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
567 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
568 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
569 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
573 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
574 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
575 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
576 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
577 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
578 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
579 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
580 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
582 Alternative Approaches
584 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
585 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
587 Various Summary Stuff
589 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
590 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
591 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
592 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
596 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
597 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
598 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
599 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
600 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
604 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
605 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
606 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
607 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
608 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
609 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
610 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
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 cruft 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 tendinitis 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 Anyway, 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.
1943 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1944 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1945 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1947 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1948 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1953 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1954 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1955 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1956 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1957 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1961 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1962 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1963 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1964 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1965 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1966 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1967 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1968 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1969 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1970 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1973 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1974 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1975 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1976 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1977 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1980 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1981 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1982 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1983 doing any processing of its contents
1984 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1985 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1986 manner will have no permanent effects.
1990 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1991 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1992 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1993 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1994 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1995 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1996 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1997 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2000 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2001 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2002 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2003 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2008 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2009 full summary buffer.
2012 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2015 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2020 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2021 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2022 Useful functions include:
2025 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2026 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2027 don't select the article.
2029 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2030 Select the first unread article.
2032 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2033 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2037 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2038 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2039 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2043 @node Subscription Commands
2044 @section Subscription Commands
2045 @cindex subscription
2053 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2054 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2055 Toggle subscription to the current group
2056 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2062 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2063 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2064 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2065 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2071 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2072 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2073 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2079 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2080 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2083 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2084 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2085 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2086 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2087 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2093 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2094 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2098 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2099 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2102 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2103 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2104 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2105 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2106 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2107 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2108 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2109 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2110 @file{.newsrc} file.
2114 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2124 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2125 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2126 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2127 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2128 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2129 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2134 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2135 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2136 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2140 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2141 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2142 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2144 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2145 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2146 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2147 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2148 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2149 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2156 @section Group Levels
2160 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2161 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2162 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2163 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2164 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2166 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2172 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2173 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2174 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2175 prompted for a level.
2178 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2180 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2181 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2182 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2183 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2184 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2185 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2186 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2187 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2188 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2189 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2190 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2191 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2192 reasons of efficiency.
2194 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2195 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2197 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2198 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2199 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2200 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2201 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2202 groups are hidden, in a way.
2204 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2205 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2206 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2207 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2208 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2209 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2211 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2212 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2213 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2214 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2215 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2216 list of killed groups.)
2218 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2219 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2220 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2222 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2223 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2224 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2225 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2226 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2227 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2228 relevant valid ranges.
2230 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2231 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2232 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2233 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2234 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2235 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2238 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2239 one with the best level.
2241 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2242 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2243 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2246 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2247 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2248 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2249 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2252 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2253 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2254 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2255 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2257 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2258 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2259 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2260 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2261 to 5. The default is 6.
2265 @section Group Score
2270 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2271 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2272 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2275 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2276 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2277 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2278 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2279 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2280 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2281 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2282 least significant part.))
2284 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2285 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2286 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2287 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2288 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2289 action after each summary exit, you can add
2290 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2291 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2292 slow things down somewhat.
2295 @node Marking Groups
2296 @section Marking Groups
2297 @cindex marking groups
2299 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2300 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2301 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2302 bidding on those groups.
2304 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2305 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2306 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2314 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2315 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2321 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2322 Remove the mark from the current group
2323 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2327 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2328 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2332 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2333 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2337 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2338 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2342 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2343 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2344 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2347 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2349 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2350 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2351 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2352 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2353 the command to be executed.
2356 @node Foreign Groups
2357 @section Foreign Groups
2358 @cindex foreign groups
2360 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2361 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2362 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2363 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2370 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2371 @cindex making groups
2372 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2373 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2374 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2378 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2379 @cindex renaming groups
2380 Rename the current group to something else
2381 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2382 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2388 @findex gnus-group-customize
2389 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2393 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2394 @cindex renaming groups
2395 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2396 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2400 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2401 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2402 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2406 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2407 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2408 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2414 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2415 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2420 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2421 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2425 @cindex (ding) archive
2426 @cindex archive group
2427 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2428 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2429 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2430 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2431 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2432 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2433 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2437 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2439 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2440 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2441 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2442 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2446 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2448 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2449 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2450 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2454 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2455 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2457 Make a group based on some file or other
2458 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2459 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2460 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2461 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2462 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2463 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2464 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2468 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2469 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2470 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2471 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2475 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2480 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2481 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2482 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2483 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2484 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2485 @xref{Web Searches}.
2487 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2488 to a particular group by using a match string like
2489 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2492 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2493 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2494 This function will delete the current group
2495 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2496 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2497 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2498 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2499 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2503 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2504 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2505 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2509 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2510 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2511 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2514 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2517 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2518 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2519 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2520 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2521 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2522 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2526 @node Group Parameters
2527 @section Group Parameters
2528 @cindex group parameters
2530 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2531 Here's an example group parameter list:
2534 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2538 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2539 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2540 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2541 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2543 The following group parameters can be used:
2548 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2551 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2554 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2555 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2556 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2557 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2558 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2560 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2561 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2562 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2563 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2564 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2565 list address instead.
2569 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2572 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2575 It is totally ignored
2576 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2577 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2579 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2580 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2581 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2582 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2583 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2585 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2586 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2587 sending the message.
2591 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2592 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2593 of whether it has any unread articles.
2595 @item broken-reply-to
2596 @cindex broken-reply-to
2597 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2598 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2599 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2600 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2601 broken behavior. So there!
2605 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2606 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2610 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2611 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2612 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2617 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2618 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2619 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2620 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2621 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2622 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2623 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2627 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2628 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2629 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2632 @cindex total-expire
2633 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2634 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2635 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2636 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2641 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2642 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2643 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2644 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2645 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2646 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2649 @cindex score file group parameter
2650 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2651 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2652 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2655 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2656 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2657 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2658 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2661 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2662 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2663 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2664 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2667 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2668 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2672 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2675 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2680 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2681 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2682 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2686 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2687 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2688 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2690 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2691 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2692 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2693 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2694 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2695 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2696 @code{eval}ed there.
2698 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2699 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2700 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2701 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2702 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2705 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2706 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2707 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2708 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2709 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2711 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2712 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2713 like this in the group parameters:
2718 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2722 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2723 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2724 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2725 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2726 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2730 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2731 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2735 @node Listing Groups
2736 @section Listing Groups
2737 @cindex group listing
2739 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2747 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2748 List all groups that have unread articles
2749 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2750 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2751 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2752 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2759 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2760 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2761 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2762 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2763 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2764 unsubscribed groups).
2768 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2769 List all unread groups on a specific level
2770 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2771 with no unread articles.
2775 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2776 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2777 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2778 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2783 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2784 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2788 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2789 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2790 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2794 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2795 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2799 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2800 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2801 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2802 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2803 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2804 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2805 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2806 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2810 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2811 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2812 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2816 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2817 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2818 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2822 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2823 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2827 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2828 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2832 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2833 List groups limited within the current selection
2834 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2838 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2839 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2843 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2844 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2848 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2849 @cindex visible group parameter
2850 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2851 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2852 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2853 get the same effect.
2855 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2856 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2857 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2858 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2859 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2862 @node Sorting Groups
2863 @section Sorting Groups
2864 @cindex sorting groups
2866 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2867 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2868 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2869 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2870 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2871 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2876 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2877 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2878 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2880 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2881 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2882 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2884 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2885 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2886 Sort by group level.
2888 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2889 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2890 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2892 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2893 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2894 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2895 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2897 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2898 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2899 Sort by number of unread articles.
2901 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2902 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2903 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2905 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
2906 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
2907 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
2912 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2913 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2917 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2918 some sorting criteria:
2922 @kindex G S a (Group)
2923 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2924 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2925 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2928 @kindex G S u (Group)
2929 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2930 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2931 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2934 @kindex G S l (Group)
2935 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2936 Sort the group buffer by group level
2937 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2940 @kindex G S v (Group)
2941 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2942 Sort the group buffer by group score
2943 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2946 @kindex G S r (Group)
2947 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2948 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2949 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2952 @kindex G S m (Group)
2953 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2954 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2955 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2959 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2960 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2962 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2963 commands will sort in reverse order.
2965 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2969 @kindex G P a (Group)
2970 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2971 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2972 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2975 @kindex G P u (Group)
2976 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2977 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2978 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2981 @kindex G P l (Group)
2982 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2983 Sort the groups by group level
2984 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2987 @kindex G P v (Group)
2988 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2989 Sort the groups by group score
2990 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2993 @kindex G P r (Group)
2994 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2995 Sort the groups by group rank
2996 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2999 @kindex G P m (Group)
3000 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3001 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3002 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3008 @node Group Maintenance
3009 @section Group Maintenance
3010 @cindex bogus groups
3015 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3016 Find bogus groups and delete them
3017 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3021 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3022 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3023 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3024 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3025 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3029 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3030 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3031 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3032 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3035 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3036 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3037 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3038 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3043 @node Browse Foreign Server
3044 @section Browse Foreign Server
3045 @cindex foreign servers
3046 @cindex browsing servers
3051 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3052 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3053 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3054 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3057 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3058 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3059 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3060 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3062 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3067 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3068 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3072 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3073 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3076 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3077 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3078 Enter the current group and display the first article
3079 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3082 @kindex RET (Browse)
3083 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3084 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3088 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3089 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3090 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3096 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3097 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3101 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3102 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3103 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3108 @section Exiting gnus
3109 @cindex exiting gnus
3111 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3116 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3117 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3118 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3119 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3123 @findex gnus-group-exit
3124 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3125 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3129 @findex gnus-group-quit
3130 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3131 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3134 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3135 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3136 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3137 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3138 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3143 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3144 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3145 trying to customize meta-variables.
3150 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3151 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3152 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3158 @section Group Topics
3161 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3162 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3163 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3164 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3165 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3166 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3170 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3171 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3182 2: alt.religion.emacs
3185 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3187 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3188 13: comp.sources.unix
3191 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3193 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3194 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3195 is a toggling command.)
3197 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3198 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3199 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3200 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3203 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3204 the hook for the group mode:
3207 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3211 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3212 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3213 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3214 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3215 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3219 @node Topic Variables
3220 @subsection Topic Variables
3221 @cindex topic variables
3223 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3224 really neat, I think.
3226 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3227 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3228 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3241 Number of groups in the topic.
3243 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3245 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3248 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3249 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3250 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3253 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3254 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3256 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3257 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3258 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3261 @node Topic Commands
3262 @subsection Topic Commands
3263 @cindex topic commands
3265 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3266 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3267 definitions slightly.
3273 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3274 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3275 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3279 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3280 Move the current group to some other topic
3281 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3282 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3286 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3287 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3291 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3292 Copy the current group to some other topic
3293 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3294 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3298 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3299 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3300 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3304 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3305 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3306 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3310 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3311 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3312 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3313 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3314 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3315 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3316 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3319 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3320 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3324 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3325 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3326 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3330 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3331 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3332 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3336 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3337 Toggle hiding empty topics
3338 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3342 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3343 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3344 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3347 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3348 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3349 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3350 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3354 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3356 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3357 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3358 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3359 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3362 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3363 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3364 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3365 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3369 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3371 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3372 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3373 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3374 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3375 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3376 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3379 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3380 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3381 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3382 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3386 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3387 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3388 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3392 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3393 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3394 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3399 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3400 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3403 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3404 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3405 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3409 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3410 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3411 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3415 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3416 @cindex group parameters
3417 @cindex topic parameters
3419 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3420 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3426 @subsection Topic Sorting
3427 @cindex topic sorting
3429 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3435 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3436 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3437 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3438 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3441 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3442 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3443 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3444 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3447 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3448 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3449 Sort the current topic by group level
3450 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3453 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3454 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3455 Sort the current topic by group score
3456 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3459 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3460 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3461 Sort the current topic by group rank
3462 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3465 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3466 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3467 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3468 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3472 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3475 @node Topic Topology
3476 @subsection Topic Topology
3477 @cindex topic topology
3480 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3486 2: alt.religion.emacs
3489 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3491 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3492 13: comp.sources.unix
3495 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3496 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3497 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3502 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3503 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3507 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3508 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3509 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3510 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3511 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3512 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3514 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3515 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3516 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3519 @node Topic Parameters
3520 @subsection Topic Parameters
3521 @cindex topic parameters
3523 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3524 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3525 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3527 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3532 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3533 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3534 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3539 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3540 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3541 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3542 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3548 2: alt.religion.emacs
3552 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3554 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3555 13: comp.sources.unix
3559 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3560 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3561 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3562 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3563 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3564 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3566 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3567 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3568 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3569 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3570 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3572 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3573 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3574 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3575 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3576 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3577 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3578 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3579 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3582 @node Misc Group Stuff
3583 @section Misc Group Stuff
3586 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3587 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3588 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3589 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3596 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3597 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3598 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3602 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3603 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3604 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3608 @findex gnus-group-mail
3609 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3613 Variables for the group buffer:
3617 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3618 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3619 is called after the group buffer has been
3622 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3623 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3624 is called after the group buffer is
3625 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3628 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3629 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3630 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3631 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3633 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3634 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3635 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3636 whether they are empty or not.
3638 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3639 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3640 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3641 non-ASCII group names.
3645 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3646 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3649 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3650 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3651 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3652 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3656 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3657 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3662 @node Scanning New Messages
3663 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3664 @cindex new messages
3665 @cindex scanning new news
3671 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3672 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3673 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3674 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3675 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3676 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3681 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3682 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3683 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3684 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3685 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3686 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3687 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3689 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3690 @cindex activating groups
3692 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3693 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3698 @findex gnus-group-restart
3699 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3700 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3701 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3705 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3706 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3708 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3709 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3713 @node Group Information
3714 @subsection Group Information
3715 @cindex group information
3716 @cindex information on groups
3723 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3724 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3727 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3728 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3729 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3730 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3731 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3732 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3733 for fetching the file.
3735 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3736 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3740 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3742 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3743 @cindex describing groups
3744 @cindex group description
3745 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3746 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3747 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3751 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3752 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3753 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3760 @findex gnus-version
3761 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3765 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3766 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3769 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3772 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3773 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3777 @node Group Timestamp
3778 @subsection Group Timestamp
3780 @cindex group timestamps
3782 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3783 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3784 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3787 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3790 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3792 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3793 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3796 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3797 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3800 This will result in lines looking like:
3803 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3804 0: custom 19961002T012713
3807 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3808 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3812 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3813 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3818 @subsection File Commands
3819 @cindex file commands
3825 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3826 @vindex gnus-init-file
3827 @cindex reading init file
3828 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3829 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3833 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3834 @cindex saving .newsrc
3835 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3836 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3837 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3840 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3841 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3842 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3847 @node The Summary Buffer
3848 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3849 @cindex summary buffer
3851 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3852 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3854 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3855 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3857 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3860 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3861 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3862 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3863 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3864 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3865 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3866 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3867 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3868 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3869 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3870 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3871 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3872 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3873 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3874 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3875 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3876 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3877 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3878 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3879 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3880 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3881 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3882 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3883 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3884 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3885 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3886 or reselecting the current group.
3887 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3888 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3889 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3893 @node Summary Buffer Format
3894 @section Summary Buffer Format
3895 @cindex summary buffer format
3899 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3900 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3901 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3907 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3908 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3909 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3910 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3913 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3914 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3915 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3916 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3917 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3918 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3919 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3920 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3921 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3922 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3923 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3924 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3925 other function instead:
3928 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3929 'mail-extract-address-components)
3932 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3933 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3934 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3935 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3938 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3939 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3941 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3942 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3943 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3944 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3945 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3947 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3949 The following format specification characters are understood:
3955 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3956 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3958 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3959 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3960 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3962 Full @code{From} header.
3964 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3966 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3967 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3969 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3970 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3971 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3972 may be more thorough.
3974 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3977 Number of lines in the article.
3979 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3980 methods (like nnfolder).
3982 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3984 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3985 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3987 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3988 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3990 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3991 for adopted articles.
3993 One space for each thread level.
3995 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4000 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4001 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4005 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4007 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4008 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4009 default level. If the difference between
4010 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4011 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4019 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4021 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4027 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4028 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4030 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4031 article has any children.
4037 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4038 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4039 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4040 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4041 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4042 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4045 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4046 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4047 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4048 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4049 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4050 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4052 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4053 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4055 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4058 @node To From Newsgroups
4059 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4063 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4064 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4065 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4066 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4067 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4071 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4072 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4073 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4077 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4078 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4081 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4082 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4085 @findex gnus-extra-header
4086 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4087 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4088 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4091 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4095 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4096 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4097 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4098 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4099 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4100 headers are used instead.
4104 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4105 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4106 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4107 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4110 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4111 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4112 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4113 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4115 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4118 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4120 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4121 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4122 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4123 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4127 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4128 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4135 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4136 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4139 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4140 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4142 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4143 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4144 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4145 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4147 Here are the elements you can play with:
4153 Unprefixed group name.
4155 Current article number.
4157 Current article score.
4161 Number of unread articles in this group.
4163 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4166 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4167 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4168 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4169 and no unselected ones.
4171 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4172 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4174 Subject of the current article.
4176 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4178 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4180 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4182 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4184 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4186 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4190 @node Summary Highlighting
4191 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4195 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4196 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4197 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4198 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4199 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4201 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4202 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4203 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4204 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4206 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4207 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4208 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4209 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4211 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4212 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4213 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4214 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4215 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4216 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4219 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4220 ((> score default) . bold))
4222 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4223 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4227 @node Summary Maneuvering
4228 @section Summary Maneuvering
4229 @cindex summary movement
4231 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4232 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4234 None of these commands select articles.
4239 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4240 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4241 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4242 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4243 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4247 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4248 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4249 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4250 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4251 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4256 @kindex G j (Summary)
4257 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4258 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4259 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4262 @kindex G g (Summary)
4263 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4264 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4265 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4268 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4269 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4270 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4271 to the group buffer.
4273 Variables related to summary movement:
4277 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4278 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4279 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4280 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4281 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4282 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4283 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4284 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4285 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4286 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4287 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4288 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4289 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4290 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4292 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4293 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4294 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4295 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4296 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4297 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4298 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4300 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4302 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4303 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4304 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4305 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4306 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4308 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4309 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4310 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4311 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4312 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4313 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4314 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4315 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4318 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4319 the given number of lines from the top.
4324 @node Choosing Articles
4325 @section Choosing Articles
4326 @cindex selecting articles
4329 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4330 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4334 @node Choosing Commands
4335 @subsection Choosing Commands
4337 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4338 and they all select and display an article.
4340 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4341 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4345 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4346 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4347 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4348 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4353 @kindex G n (Summary)
4354 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4355 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4356 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4361 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4362 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4363 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4368 @kindex G N (Summary)
4369 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4370 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4375 @kindex G P (Summary)
4376 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4377 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4380 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4381 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4382 Go to the next article with the same subject
4383 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4386 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4387 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4388 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4389 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4393 @kindex G f (Summary)
4395 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4396 Go to the first unread article
4397 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4401 @kindex G b (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4404 Go to the article with the highest score
4405 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4410 @kindex G l (Summary)
4411 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4412 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4415 @kindex G o (Summary)
4416 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4418 @cindex article history
4419 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4420 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4421 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4422 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4423 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4424 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4428 @node Choosing Variables
4429 @subsection Choosing Variables
4431 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4434 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4435 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4436 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4437 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4438 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4439 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4441 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4442 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4443 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4444 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4446 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4447 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4448 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4449 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4450 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4451 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4452 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4453 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4454 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4455 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4456 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4457 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4458 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4459 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4464 @node Paging the Article
4465 @section Scrolling the Article
4466 @cindex article scrolling
4471 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4472 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4473 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4474 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4475 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4478 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4479 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4480 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4483 @kindex RET (Summary)
4484 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4485 Scroll the current article one line forward
4486 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4489 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4490 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4491 Scroll the current article one line backward
4492 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4496 @kindex A g (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4499 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4500 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4501 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4502 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4503 the way it came from the server.
4505 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4506 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4507 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4510 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4515 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4520 @kindex A < (Summary)
4521 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4522 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4523 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4528 @kindex A > (Summary)
4529 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4530 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4534 @kindex A s (Summary)
4536 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4537 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4538 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4542 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4543 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4548 @node Reply Followup and Post
4549 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4552 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4553 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4554 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4555 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4559 @node Summary Mail Commands
4560 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4562 @cindex composing mail
4564 Commands for composing a mail message:
4570 @kindex S r (Summary)
4572 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4573 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4574 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4575 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4576 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4581 @kindex S R (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4583 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4584 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4585 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4586 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4589 @kindex S w (Summary)
4590 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4591 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4592 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4593 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4594 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4597 @kindex S W (Summary)
4598 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4599 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4600 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4601 the process/prefix convention.
4605 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4606 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4607 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4608 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4609 Forward the current article to some other person
4610 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4611 headers of the forwarded article.
4616 @kindex S m (Summary)
4617 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4618 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4619 Send a mail to some other person
4620 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4623 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4624 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4625 @cindex bouncing mail
4626 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4627 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4628 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4629 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4630 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4631 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4632 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4633 very well fail, though.
4636 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4637 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4638 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4639 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4640 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4641 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4642 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4643 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4644 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4645 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4647 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4648 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4649 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4650 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4651 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4653 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4654 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4657 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4658 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4659 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4660 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4661 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4664 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4665 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4666 @cindex crossposting
4667 @cindex excessive crossposting
4668 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4669 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4671 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4672 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4673 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4674 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4675 command understands the process/prefix convention
4676 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4680 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4683 @node Summary Post Commands
4684 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4686 @cindex composing news
4688 Commands for posting a news article:
4694 @kindex S p (Summary)
4695 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4696 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4697 Post an article to the current group
4698 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4703 @kindex S f (Summary)
4704 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4705 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4706 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4710 @kindex S F (Summary)
4712 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4713 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4714 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4715 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4716 process/prefix convention.
4719 @kindex S n (Summary)
4720 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4721 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4722 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4725 @kindex S N (Summary)
4726 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4727 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4728 message through mail and include the original message
4729 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4730 the process/prefix convention.
4733 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4735 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4736 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4737 headers of the forwarded article.
4740 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4741 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4743 @cindex making digests
4744 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4745 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4746 process/prefix convention.
4749 @kindex S u (Summary)
4750 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4751 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4752 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4753 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4756 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4759 @node Summary Message Commands
4760 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4764 @kindex S y (Summary)
4765 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4766 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4767 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4768 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4769 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4774 @node Canceling and Superseding
4775 @subsection Canceling Articles
4776 @cindex canceling articles
4777 @cindex superseding articles
4779 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4780 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4782 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4784 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4786 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4787 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4788 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4789 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4790 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4791 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4793 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4794 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4797 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4798 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4799 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4801 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4802 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4803 your original article.
4805 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4807 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4808 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4809 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4812 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4813 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4814 have posted almost the same article twice.
4816 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4817 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4818 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4819 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4820 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4821 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4822 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4823 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4824 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4825 canceled/superseded.
4827 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4830 @node Marking Articles
4831 @section Marking Articles
4832 @cindex article marking
4833 @cindex article ticking
4836 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4838 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4839 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4840 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4842 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4845 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4846 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4847 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4851 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4855 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4856 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4857 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4861 @node Unread Articles
4862 @subsection Unread Articles
4864 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4869 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4870 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4872 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4873 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4874 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4875 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4876 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4880 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4881 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4883 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4884 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4885 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4888 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4889 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4891 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4896 @subsection Read Articles
4897 @cindex expirable mark
4899 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4904 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4905 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4906 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4909 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4910 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4913 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4914 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4915 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4918 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4919 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4922 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4923 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4926 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4927 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4930 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4931 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4934 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4935 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4938 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4939 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4942 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4943 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4947 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4948 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4949 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4953 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4954 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4956 One more special mark, though:
4960 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4961 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4963 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4964 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4965 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4966 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4972 @subsection Other Marks
4973 @cindex process mark
4976 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4982 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4983 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4984 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4985 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4986 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4989 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4990 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4991 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4992 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4995 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4996 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4997 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5000 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5001 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5002 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5003 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5006 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5007 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5008 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5009 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5010 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5013 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5014 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5015 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5016 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5017 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5018 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5022 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5023 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5024 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5026 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5027 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5028 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5032 @subsection Setting Marks
5033 @cindex setting marks
5035 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5040 @kindex M c (Summary)
5041 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5042 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5043 @cindex mark as unread
5044 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5045 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5051 @kindex M t (Summary)
5052 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5053 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5054 @xref{Article Caching}.
5059 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5061 Mark the current article as dormant
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5066 @kindex M d (Summary)
5068 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5069 Mark the current article as read
5070 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5074 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5075 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5076 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5081 @kindex M k (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5083 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5084 and then select the next unread article
5085 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5089 @kindex M K (Summary)
5090 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5091 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5092 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5093 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5096 @kindex M C (Summary)
5097 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5098 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5099 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5102 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5103 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5104 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5105 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5108 @kindex M H (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5110 Catchup the current group to point
5111 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5114 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5116 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5117 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5120 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5121 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5122 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5123 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5127 @kindex M e (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5130 Mark the current article as expirable
5131 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5134 @kindex M b (Summary)
5135 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5136 Set a bookmark in the current article
5137 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5140 @kindex M B (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5142 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5143 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5146 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5148 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5149 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5152 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5154 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5155 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5158 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5160 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5161 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5162 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5165 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5166 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5167 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5168 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5169 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5170 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5171 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5172 The default is @code{t}.
5175 @node Generic Marking Commands
5176 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5178 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5179 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5180 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5181 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5182 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5185 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5186 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5189 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5190 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5191 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5192 to list in this manual.
5194 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5195 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5196 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5197 article, you could say something like:
5200 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5201 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5202 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5208 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5209 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5213 @node Setting Process Marks
5214 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5215 @cindex setting process marks
5222 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5223 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5224 Mark the current article with the process mark
5225 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5226 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5230 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5231 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5232 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5236 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5238 Remove the process mark from all articles
5239 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5242 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5243 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5244 Invert the list of process marked articles
5245 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5248 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5249 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5250 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5251 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5254 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5255 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5256 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5257 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5260 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5261 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5262 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5265 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5266 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5267 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5268 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5271 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5273 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5274 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5277 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5279 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5280 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5283 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5285 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5288 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5290 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5291 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5294 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5296 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5299 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5301 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5302 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5305 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5307 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5308 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5311 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5313 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5314 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5317 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5319 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5320 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5324 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5325 set process marks based on article body contents.
5332 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5333 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5334 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5337 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5338 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5339 additional articles.
5345 @kindex / / (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5347 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5348 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5351 @kindex / a (Summary)
5352 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5353 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5354 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5357 @kindex / x (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5359 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5360 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5361 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5365 @kindex / u (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5368 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5369 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5370 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5371 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5374 @kindex / m (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5376 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5377 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5380 @kindex / t (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5382 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5383 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5384 articles younger than that number of days.
5387 @kindex / n (Summary)
5388 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5389 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5390 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5391 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5394 @kindex / w (Summary)
5395 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5396 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5397 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5401 @kindex / v (Summary)
5402 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5403 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5404 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5408 @kindex M S (Summary)
5409 @kindex / E (Summary)
5410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5411 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5412 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5415 @kindex / D (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5417 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5418 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5421 @kindex / * (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5423 Include all cached articles in the limit
5424 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5427 @kindex / d (Summary)
5428 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5429 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5430 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5433 @kindex / M (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5435 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5438 @kindex / T (Summary)
5439 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5440 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5443 @kindex / c (Summary)
5444 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5445 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5446 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5449 @kindex / C (Summary)
5450 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5451 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5452 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5453 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5461 @cindex article threading
5463 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5464 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5465 hierarchical fashion.
5467 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5468 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5469 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5470 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5471 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5472 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5473 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5475 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5479 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5482 A tree-like article structure.
5485 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5488 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5489 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5490 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5491 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5492 called loose threads.
5494 @item thread gathering
5495 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5497 @item sparse threads
5498 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5499 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5505 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5506 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5510 @node Customizing Threading
5511 @subsection Customizing Threading
5512 @cindex customizing threading
5515 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5516 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5517 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5518 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5523 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5526 @cindex loose threads
5529 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5530 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5531 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5532 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5533 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5534 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5536 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5537 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5538 There are four possible values:
5542 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5543 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5544 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5545 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5546 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5551 @cindex adopting articles
5556 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5557 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5558 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5559 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5562 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5563 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5564 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5565 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5566 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5567 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5568 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5571 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5572 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5573 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5577 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5578 display them after one another.
5581 Don't gather loose threads.
5584 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5585 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5586 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5587 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5588 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5589 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5590 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5591 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5592 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5593 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5594 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5596 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5597 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5598 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5601 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5602 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5603 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5604 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5605 simplification is used.
5607 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5608 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5609 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5610 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5612 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5614 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5620 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5621 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5622 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5623 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5628 (mapconcat 'identity
5629 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5631 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5634 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5637 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5638 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5639 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5640 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5641 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5642 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5644 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5647 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5648 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5649 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5651 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5652 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5655 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5656 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5657 Remove excessive whitespace.
5660 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5663 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5664 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5665 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5666 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5667 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5668 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5669 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5670 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5672 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5673 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5674 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5675 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5676 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5677 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5678 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5679 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5680 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5684 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5685 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5686 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5687 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5689 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5690 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5691 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5694 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5698 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5699 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5705 @node Filling In Threads
5706 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5709 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5710 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5711 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5712 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5713 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5714 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5715 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5716 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5717 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5718 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5719 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5720 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5722 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5723 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5724 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5726 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5727 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5728 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5729 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5730 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5731 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5732 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5733 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5734 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5735 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5736 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5737 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5738 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5739 @code{nil} by default.
5744 @node More Threading
5745 @subsubsection More Threading
5748 @item gnus-show-threads
5749 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5750 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5751 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5752 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5753 slower and more awkward.
5755 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5756 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5757 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5760 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5761 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5762 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5763 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5764 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5765 threads are expunged.
5767 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5768 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5769 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5772 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5773 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5774 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5775 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5776 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5779 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5780 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5781 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5784 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5785 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5786 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5787 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5788 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5789 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5790 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5791 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5792 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5793 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5794 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5799 @node Low-Level Threading
5800 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5804 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5805 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5806 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5807 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5808 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5809 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5811 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5812 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5813 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5814 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5815 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5816 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5817 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5818 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5819 meaningful. Here's one example:
5822 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5824 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5825 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5827 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5829 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5836 @node Thread Commands
5837 @subsection Thread Commands
5838 @cindex thread commands
5844 @kindex T k (Summary)
5845 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5847 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5848 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5849 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5854 @kindex T l (Summary)
5855 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5856 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5857 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5858 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5861 @kindex T i (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5863 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5864 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5867 @kindex T # (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5869 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5870 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5873 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5874 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5875 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5876 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5879 @kindex T T (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5881 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5884 @kindex T s (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5886 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5887 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5890 @kindex T h (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5892 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5895 @kindex T S (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5897 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5900 @kindex T H (Summary)
5901 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5902 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5905 @kindex T t (Summary)
5906 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5907 Re-thread the current article's thread
5908 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5909 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5912 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5913 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5914 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5915 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5919 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5920 understand the numeric prefix.
5925 @kindex T n (Summary)
5927 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5929 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5930 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5931 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5934 @kindex T p (Summary)
5936 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5938 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5939 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5940 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5943 @kindex T d (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5945 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5948 @kindex T u (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5950 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5953 @kindex T o (Summary)
5954 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5955 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5958 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5959 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5960 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5961 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5962 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5963 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5964 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5965 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5966 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5967 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5968 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5969 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5976 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5977 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5978 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5979 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5980 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5981 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5982 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5983 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5984 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5985 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5986 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5988 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5989 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5990 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5991 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5992 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5994 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5995 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5996 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5998 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5999 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6000 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6001 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6002 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6003 ascending article order.
6005 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6006 by number, you could do something like:
6009 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6010 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6011 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6012 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6015 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6016 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6017 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6018 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6019 which the articles arrived.
6021 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6025 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6027 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6028 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6031 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6032 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6033 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6034 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6037 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6038 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6039 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6040 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6041 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6042 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6043 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6044 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6045 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6046 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6047 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6048 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6049 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6051 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6055 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6056 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6057 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6062 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6063 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6064 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6065 @cindex article pre-fetch
6068 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6069 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6070 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6071 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6072 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6074 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6075 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6077 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6078 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6079 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6080 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6081 connection is blocked.
6083 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6084 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6085 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6086 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6088 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6089 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6090 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6091 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6094 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6097 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6098 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6099 happen automatically.
6101 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6102 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6103 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6104 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6105 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6106 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6107 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6109 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6110 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6111 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6112 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6113 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6114 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6115 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6116 data structure as the only parameter.
6118 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6121 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6122 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6123 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6124 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6127 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6130 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6131 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6132 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6134 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6135 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6136 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6137 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6141 Remove articles when they are read.
6144 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6147 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6149 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6150 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6151 @c from the next group.
6154 @node Article Caching
6155 @section Article Caching
6156 @cindex article caching
6159 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6160 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6161 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6162 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6163 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6165 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6167 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6168 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6169 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6170 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6171 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6172 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6173 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6174 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6176 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6177 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6178 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6179 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6180 as dormant, and don't worry.
6182 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6184 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6185 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6186 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6187 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6188 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6189 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6190 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6191 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6192 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6193 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6195 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6196 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6197 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6198 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6199 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6200 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6201 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6202 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6203 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6204 not then be downloaded by this command.
6206 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6207 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6208 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6209 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6210 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6211 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6213 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6214 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6215 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6216 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6217 variables, the group is not cached.
6219 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6220 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6221 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6222 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6223 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6224 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6225 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6226 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6227 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6231 @node Persistent Articles
6232 @section Persistent Articles
6233 @cindex persistent articles
6235 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6236 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6237 useful in my opinion.
6239 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6240 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6241 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6242 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6243 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6244 the expiry going on at the news server.
6246 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6247 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6248 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6254 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6255 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6258 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6260 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6261 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6265 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6267 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6268 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6269 interested in persistent articles:
6272 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6276 @node Article Backlog
6277 @section Article Backlog
6279 @cindex article backlog
6281 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6282 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6283 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6284 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6285 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6286 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6287 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6288 increase memory usage some.
6290 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6291 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6292 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6293 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6294 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6295 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6296 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6298 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6301 @node Saving Articles
6302 @section Saving Articles
6303 @cindex saving articles
6305 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6306 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6307 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6308 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6309 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6311 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6312 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6313 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6315 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6316 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6317 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6318 deleted before saving.
6324 @kindex O o (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6327 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6328 Save the current article using the default article saver
6329 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6332 @kindex O m (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6334 Save the current article in mail format
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6338 @kindex O r (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6340 Save the current article in rmail format
6341 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6344 @kindex O f (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6346 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6347 Save the current article in plain file format
6348 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6351 @kindex O F (Summary)
6352 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6353 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6354 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6357 @kindex O b (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6359 Save the current article body in plain file format
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6363 @kindex O h (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6365 Save the current article in mh folder format
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6369 @kindex O v (Summary)
6370 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6371 Save the current article in a VM folder
6372 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6375 @kindex O p (Summary)
6376 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6377 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6378 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6381 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6382 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6383 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6384 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6385 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6386 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6387 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6388 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6389 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6390 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6391 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6392 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6396 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6397 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6398 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6399 functions below, or you can create your own.
6403 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6404 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6405 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6406 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6407 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6408 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6409 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6411 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6412 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6413 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6414 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6415 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6416 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6418 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6419 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6420 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6421 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6422 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6423 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6424 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6426 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6427 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6428 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6429 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6430 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6432 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6433 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6434 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6435 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6436 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6439 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6440 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6441 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6442 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6443 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6445 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6446 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6447 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6448 reader to use this setting.
6451 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6452 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6453 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6454 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6457 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6458 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6459 available functions that generate names:
6463 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6464 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6465 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6467 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6468 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6469 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6471 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6472 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6473 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6475 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6476 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6477 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6480 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6481 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6482 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6483 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6484 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6488 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6489 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6490 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6491 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6494 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6495 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6496 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6497 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6498 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6499 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6500 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6501 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6502 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6504 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6505 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6506 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6507 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6509 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6510 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6511 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6514 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6515 lots of mail groups called things like
6516 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6517 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6518 following will do just that:
6521 (defun my-save-name (group)
6522 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6523 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6525 (setq gnus-split-methods
6526 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6531 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6532 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6533 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6534 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6535 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6536 all the files in the top level directory
6537 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6538 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6539 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6540 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6542 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6543 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6544 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6545 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6546 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6549 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6553 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6554 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6557 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6558 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6559 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6560 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6563 @node Decoding Articles
6564 @section Decoding Articles
6565 @cindex decoding articles
6567 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6568 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6571 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6572 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6573 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6574 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6575 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6576 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6580 @cindex article series
6581 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6582 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6583 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6584 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6585 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6587 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6588 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6589 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6591 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6592 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6593 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6595 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6596 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6597 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6600 @node Uuencoded Articles
6601 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6603 @cindex uuencoded articles
6608 @kindex X u (Summary)
6609 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6610 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6611 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6614 @kindex X U (Summary)
6615 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6616 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6617 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6620 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6622 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6625 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6626 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6627 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6628 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6632 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6633 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6634 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6635 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6636 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6638 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6639 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6640 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6641 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6644 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6645 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6646 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6647 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6648 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6649 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6653 @node Shell Archives
6654 @subsection Shell Archives
6656 @cindex shell archives
6657 @cindex shared articles
6659 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6660 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6661 some commands to deal with these:
6666 @kindex X s (Summary)
6667 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6668 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6671 @kindex X S (Summary)
6672 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6673 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6676 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6678 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6681 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6682 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6683 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6684 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6688 @node PostScript Files
6689 @subsection PostScript Files
6695 @kindex X p (Summary)
6696 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6697 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6700 @kindex X P (Summary)
6701 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6702 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6703 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6706 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6707 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6708 View the current PostScript series
6709 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6712 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6713 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6714 View and save the current PostScript series
6715 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6720 @subsection Other Files
6724 @kindex X o (Summary)
6725 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6726 Save the current series
6727 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6730 @kindex X b (Summary)
6731 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6732 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6733 doesn't really work yet.
6737 @node Decoding Variables
6738 @subsection Decoding Variables
6740 Adjective, not verb.
6743 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6744 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6745 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6749 @node Rule Variables
6750 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6751 @cindex rule variables
6753 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6754 variables are of the form
6757 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6764 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6765 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6767 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6768 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6771 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6772 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6775 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6776 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6777 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6778 user and default view rules.
6780 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6781 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6782 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6787 @node Other Decode Variables
6788 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6791 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6793 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6794 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6795 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6796 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6797 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6801 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6802 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6805 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6806 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6807 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6810 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6811 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6812 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6813 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6814 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6817 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6818 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6819 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6821 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6822 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6823 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6824 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6825 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6828 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6829 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6830 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6832 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6833 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6834 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6835 looking for files to display.
6837 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6838 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6839 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6842 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6843 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6844 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6847 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6848 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6849 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6852 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6853 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6854 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6857 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6858 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6859 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6860 decoded articles as unread.
6862 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6863 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6864 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6865 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6867 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6868 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6869 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6871 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6872 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6874 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6875 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6876 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6877 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6879 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6880 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6881 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6882 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6883 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6884 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6885 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6886 simply dropped them.
6891 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6892 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6896 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6897 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6898 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6899 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6900 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6901 for you when you post the article.
6903 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6904 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6905 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6906 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6908 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6909 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6910 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6911 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6912 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6913 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6914 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6916 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6917 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6918 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6919 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6920 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6921 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6922 Default is @code{t}.
6928 @subsection Viewing Files
6929 @cindex viewing files
6930 @cindex pseudo-articles
6932 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6933 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6934 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6935 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6936 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6937 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6938 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6940 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6941 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6942 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6943 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6945 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6946 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6947 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6949 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6950 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6951 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6952 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6953 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6955 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6956 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6957 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6958 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6959 a list of parameters to that command.
6961 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6962 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6963 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6965 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6966 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6967 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6970 @node Article Treatment
6971 @section Article Treatment
6973 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6974 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6975 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6976 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6977 these articles easier.
6980 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6981 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6982 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6983 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6984 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6985 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6986 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6987 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6991 @node Article Highlighting
6992 @subsection Article Highlighting
6993 @cindex highlighting
6995 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6996 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7001 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7002 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7003 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7004 Do much highlighting of the current article
7005 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7006 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7009 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7010 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7011 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7012 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7013 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7014 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7015 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7016 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7017 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7018 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7019 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7020 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7023 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7024 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7025 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7027 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7030 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7032 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7033 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7034 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7036 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7037 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7038 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7040 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7041 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7042 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7043 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7044 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7045 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7047 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7048 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7049 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7051 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7052 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7053 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7055 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7056 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7057 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7058 that it's a citation.
7060 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7061 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7062 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7064 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7065 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7066 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7068 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7069 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7070 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7071 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7077 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7078 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7079 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7080 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7081 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7082 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7083 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7084 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7089 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7092 @node Article Fontisizing
7093 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7095 @cindex article emphasis
7097 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7098 @kindex W e (Summary)
7099 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7100 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7101 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7102 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7104 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7105 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7106 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7107 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7108 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7109 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7110 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7111 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7115 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7116 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7117 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7126 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7127 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7128 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7129 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7130 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7131 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7132 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7133 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7134 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7135 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7136 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7137 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7138 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7140 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7141 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7142 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7146 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7149 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7151 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7152 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7153 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7154 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7156 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7159 @node Article Hiding
7160 @subsection Article Hiding
7161 @cindex article hiding
7163 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7164 too much cruft in most articles.
7169 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7170 @findex gnus-article-hide
7171 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7172 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7173 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7176 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7177 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7178 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7182 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7184 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7185 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7188 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7190 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7194 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7195 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7196 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7197 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7198 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7199 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7200 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7201 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7205 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7206 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7207 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7208 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7213 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7214 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7215 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7216 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7217 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7218 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7219 articles that have signatures in them do:
7221 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7223 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7225 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7226 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7228 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7231 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7236 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7238 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7239 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7242 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7246 @cindex stripping advertisements
7247 @cindex advertisements
7248 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7249 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7250 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7251 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7252 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7253 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7254 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7255 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7256 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7257 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7261 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7263 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7264 customizing the hiding:
7268 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7269 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7270 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7271 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7272 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7273 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7274 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7279 Starting point of the hidden text.
7281 Ending point of the hidden text.
7283 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7285 Number of lines of hidden text.
7288 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7289 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7290 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7291 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7292 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7297 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7298 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7300 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7301 following two variables:
7304 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7305 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7306 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7307 50), hide the cited text.
7309 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7310 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7311 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7316 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7317 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7318 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7319 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7320 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7321 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7325 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7326 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7327 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7329 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7330 citation customization.
7332 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7336 @node Article Washing
7337 @subsection Article Washing
7339 @cindex article washing
7341 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7342 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7344 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7345 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7348 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7349 articles by default.
7354 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7355 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7359 @kindex W l (Summary)
7360 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7361 Remove page breaks from the current article
7362 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7366 @kindex W r (Summary)
7367 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7368 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7369 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7370 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7371 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7372 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7374 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7375 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7376 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7377 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7381 @kindex W t (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7384 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7385 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7388 @kindex W v (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7390 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7391 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7394 @kindex W m (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7396 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7397 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7400 @kindex W o (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7402 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7405 @kindex W d (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7407 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7409 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7411 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7412 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7413 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7414 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7417 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7418 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7419 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7420 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7423 @kindex W w (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7425 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7427 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7431 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7432 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7433 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7436 @kindex W C (Summary)
7437 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7438 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7439 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7442 @kindex W c (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7444 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7445 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7446 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7447 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7450 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7451 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7452 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7453 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7454 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7455 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7456 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7460 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7461 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7462 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7463 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7464 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7467 @kindex W h (Summary)
7468 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7469 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7470 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7471 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7475 @kindex W f (Summary)
7477 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7478 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7479 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7480 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7487 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7488 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7489 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7490 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7491 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7492 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7493 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7494 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7495 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7496 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7497 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7498 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7499 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7500 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7501 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7502 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7503 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7504 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7505 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7506 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7510 @kindex W b (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7512 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7513 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7516 @kindex W B (Summary)
7517 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7518 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7519 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7522 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7523 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7524 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7525 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7528 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7530 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7531 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7534 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7535 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7536 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7537 lines with a single empty line.
7538 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7541 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7542 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7543 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7544 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7547 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7548 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7549 Do all the three commands above
7550 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7553 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7554 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7555 Remove all blank lines
7556 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7559 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7560 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7561 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7562 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7565 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7566 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7567 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7568 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7572 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7575 @node Article Buttons
7576 @subsection Article Buttons
7579 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7580 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7581 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7582 button on these references.
7584 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7585 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7586 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7591 @item gnus-button-alist
7592 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7593 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7596 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7602 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7603 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7604 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7607 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7608 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7609 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7612 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7613 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7614 avoid false matches.
7617 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7620 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7621 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7625 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7628 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7631 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7632 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7633 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7634 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7635 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7638 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7641 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7643 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7644 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7645 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7646 default values of the variables above.
7648 @item gnus-article-button-face
7649 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7650 Face used on buttons.
7652 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7653 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7654 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7658 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7662 @subsection Article Date
7664 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7665 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7666 when the article was sent.
7671 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7672 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7673 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7674 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7677 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7678 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7680 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7681 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7684 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7685 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7686 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7689 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7690 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7691 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7692 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7695 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7696 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7697 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7698 @findex format-time-string
7699 Display the date using a user-defined format
7700 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7701 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7702 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7703 for a list of possible format specs.
7706 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7707 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7708 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7709 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7710 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7711 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7714 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7717 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7718 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7721 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7722 into wonderful absurdities.
7724 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7727 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7730 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7731 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7735 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7736 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7737 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7738 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7739 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7740 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7741 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7745 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7746 preferred format automatically.
7749 @node Article Signature
7750 @subsection Article Signature
7752 @cindex article signature
7754 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7755 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7756 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7757 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7758 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7759 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7760 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7761 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7762 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7765 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7766 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7767 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7768 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7769 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7770 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7771 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7772 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7775 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7778 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7779 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7780 signature when displaying articles.
7784 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7787 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7790 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7791 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7793 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7794 in question is not a signature.
7797 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7798 listed above. Here's an example:
7801 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7802 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7805 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7806 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7807 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7808 signature after all.
7811 @node Article Miscellania
7812 @subsection Article Miscellania
7816 @kindex A t (Summary)
7817 @findex gnus-article-babel
7818 Translate the article from one language to another
7819 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7825 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7826 @cindex MIME decoding
7828 @cindex viewing attachments
7830 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7831 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7837 @kindex K v (Summary)
7838 View the @sc{mime} part.
7841 @kindex K o (Summary)
7842 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7845 @kindex K c (Summary)
7846 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7849 @kindex K e (Summary)
7850 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7853 @kindex K i (Summary)
7854 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7857 @kindex K | (Summary)
7858 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7861 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7866 @kindex K b (Summary)
7867 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7868 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7872 @kindex K m (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7874 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7875 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7876 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7877 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7880 @kindex X m (Summary)
7881 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7882 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7883 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7884 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7887 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7888 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7889 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7890 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7893 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7894 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7895 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7898 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7899 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7900 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7902 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7903 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7904 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7905 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7906 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7907 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7910 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7911 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7912 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7919 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7920 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7921 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7922 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7925 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7928 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7932 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7933 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7934 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7935 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7936 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7938 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7939 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7940 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7941 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7942 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7943 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7944 save all jpegs into some directory).
7946 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7949 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7950 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7952 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7953 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7954 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7955 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7956 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7959 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7960 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7961 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7970 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7971 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7972 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7973 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7974 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7975 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7976 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7978 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7979 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7980 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7981 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7983 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7984 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7985 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7986 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7987 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7988 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7989 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7990 something some agents insist on having in there.
7992 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7993 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7994 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7995 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7996 quoted-printable header encoding.
7998 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7999 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8000 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8004 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8007 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8008 means encode all charsets),
8010 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8011 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8012 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8019 @cindex coding system aliases
8020 @cindex preferred charset
8022 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8024 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8025 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8028 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8029 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8032 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8033 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8035 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8038 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8041 This will almost do the right thing.
8043 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8047 (codepage-setup 1251)
8048 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8052 @node Article Commands
8053 @section Article Commands
8060 @kindex A P (Summary)
8061 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8062 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8063 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8064 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8065 run just before printing the buffer.
8070 @node Summary Sorting
8071 @section Summary Sorting
8072 @cindex summary sorting
8074 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8075 can't really see why you'd want that.
8080 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8081 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8082 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8085 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8086 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8087 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8090 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8092 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8095 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8096 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8097 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8100 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8101 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8102 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8105 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8106 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8107 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8110 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8112 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8115 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8116 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8117 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8118 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8119 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8123 @node Finding the Parent
8124 @section Finding the Parent
8125 @cindex parent articles
8126 @cindex referring articles
8131 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8132 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8133 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8134 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8135 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8136 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8137 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8138 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8139 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8141 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8142 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8143 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8144 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8145 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8149 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8150 @kindex A R (Summary)
8151 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8152 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8155 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8156 @kindex A T (Summary)
8157 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8158 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8159 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8160 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8161 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8162 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8163 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8165 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8166 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8167 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8168 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8169 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8170 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8173 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8174 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8176 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8177 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8178 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8179 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8180 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8181 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8182 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8185 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8186 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8187 by giving this command a prefix.
8189 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8190 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8191 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8192 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8193 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8194 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8197 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8198 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8199 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8202 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8203 then ask Deja if that fails:
8206 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8208 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8211 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8212 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8213 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8214 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8215 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8216 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8219 @node Alternative Approaches
8220 @section Alternative Approaches
8222 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8223 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8226 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8227 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8232 @subsection Pick and Read
8233 @cindex pick and read
8235 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8236 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8237 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8238 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8240 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8241 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8242 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8243 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8244 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8245 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8247 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8252 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8253 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8254 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8255 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8256 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8257 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8258 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8259 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8262 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8263 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8264 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8265 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8269 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8270 Unpick the thread or article
8271 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8272 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8273 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8274 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8275 the thread or article at that line.
8279 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8280 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8281 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8282 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8283 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8284 will still be visible when you are reading.
8288 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8289 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8290 which is mapped to the same function
8291 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8293 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8296 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8299 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8300 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8302 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8303 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8304 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8306 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8307 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8308 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8309 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8310 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8311 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8312 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8316 @subsection Binary Groups
8317 @cindex binary groups
8319 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8320 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8321 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8322 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8323 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8324 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8325 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8328 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8329 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8330 command, when you have turned on this mode
8331 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8333 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8334 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8338 @section Tree Display
8341 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8342 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8343 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8344 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8347 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8350 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8351 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8352 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8354 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8355 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8356 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8357 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8358 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8360 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8361 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8362 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8363 default is @code{modeline}.
8365 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8366 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8367 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8368 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8369 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8370 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8371 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8377 The name of the poster.
8379 The @code{From} header.
8381 The number of the article.
8383 The opening bracket.
8385 The closing bracket.
8390 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8392 Variables related to the display are:
8395 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8396 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8397 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8398 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8399 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8400 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8402 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8403 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8404 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8405 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8409 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8410 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8411 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8412 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8413 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8414 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8415 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8416 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8417 other windows displayed next to it.
8419 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8420 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8421 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8422 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8423 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8424 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8425 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8429 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8432 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8442 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8446 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8447 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8449 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8451 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8456 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8457 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8458 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8461 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8462 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8463 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8464 (gnus-add-configuration
8468 (summary 0.75 point)
8473 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8476 @node Mail Group Commands
8477 @section Mail Group Commands
8478 @cindex mail group commands
8480 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8481 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8483 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8484 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8489 @kindex B e (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8491 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8492 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8495 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8497 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8498 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8499 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8500 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8503 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8505 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8506 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8507 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8508 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8511 @kindex B m (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8514 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8515 Move the article from one mail group to another
8516 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8517 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8520 @kindex B c (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8523 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8524 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8525 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8526 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8529 @kindex B B (Summary)
8530 @cindex crosspost mail
8531 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8532 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8533 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8534 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8535 be properly updated.
8538 @kindex B i (Summary)
8539 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8540 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8541 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8542 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8545 @kindex B r (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8547 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8548 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8549 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8550 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8551 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8552 (which is the default).
8556 @kindex B w (Summary)
8558 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8559 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8560 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8561 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8562 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8563 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8566 @kindex B q (Summary)
8567 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8568 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8569 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8570 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8573 @kindex B t (Summary)
8574 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8575 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8576 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8579 @kindex B p (Summary)
8580 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8581 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8582 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8583 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8584 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8585 article from your news server (or rather, from
8586 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8587 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8588 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8589 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8590 just not have arrived yet.
8594 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8595 @cindex moving articles
8596 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8597 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8598 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8599 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8600 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8601 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8602 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8605 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8606 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8607 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8608 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8612 @node Various Summary Stuff
8613 @section Various Summary Stuff
8616 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8617 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8618 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8619 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8623 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8624 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8625 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8627 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8628 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8629 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8630 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8631 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8632 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8635 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8636 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8637 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8638 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8639 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8641 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8642 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8643 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8646 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8647 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8648 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8649 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8650 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8651 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8652 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8653 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8654 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8655 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8657 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8658 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8659 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8660 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8661 list of articles to be selected.
8663 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8664 the list in one particular group:
8667 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8668 (if (string= group "some.group")
8669 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8676 @node Summary Group Information
8677 @subsection Summary Group Information
8682 @kindex H f (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8684 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8685 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8686 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8687 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8688 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8689 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8690 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8691 be used for fetching the file.
8694 @kindex H d (Summary)
8695 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8696 Give a brief description of the current group
8697 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8698 rereading the description from the server.
8701 @kindex H h (Summary)
8702 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8703 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8704 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8707 @kindex H i (Summary)
8708 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8709 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8713 @node Searching for Articles
8714 @subsection Searching for Articles
8719 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8721 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8722 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8725 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8727 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8728 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8732 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8733 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8734 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8735 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8736 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8737 search backward instead.
8739 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8740 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8743 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8744 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8745 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8746 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8749 @node Summary Generation Commands
8750 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8755 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8756 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8757 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8760 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8761 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8762 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8763 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8768 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8769 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8775 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8776 @kindex A D (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8778 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8779 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8780 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8781 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8782 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8783 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8784 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8788 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8789 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8790 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8791 several documents into one biiig group
8792 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8793 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8794 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8795 command understands the process/prefix convention
8796 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8799 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8800 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8801 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8802 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8803 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8804 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8808 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8809 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8810 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8813 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8815 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8816 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8819 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8820 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8821 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8822 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8827 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8828 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8829 @cindex summary exit
8830 @cindex exiting groups
8832 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8833 group and return you to the group buffer.
8839 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8841 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8842 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8843 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8844 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8845 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8846 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8847 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8848 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8849 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8850 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8851 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8855 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8857 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8858 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8859 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8863 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8865 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8866 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8867 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8868 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8871 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8872 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8873 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8874 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8877 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8879 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8880 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8883 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8884 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8885 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8886 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8887 all articles, both read and unread.
8891 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8892 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8893 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8894 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8895 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8896 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8897 articles, both read and unread.
8900 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8901 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8902 Exit the group and go to the next group
8903 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8906 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8908 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8909 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8912 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8913 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8914 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8915 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8916 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8917 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8920 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8921 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8922 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8923 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8925 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8926 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8927 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8928 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8929 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8930 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8931 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8932 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8933 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8934 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8935 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8936 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8938 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8940 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8941 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8942 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8943 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8944 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8945 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8946 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8947 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8948 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8951 @node Crosspost Handling
8952 @section Crosspost Handling
8956 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8957 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8958 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8959 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8960 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8961 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8964 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8965 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8966 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8967 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8968 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8970 @cindex cross-posting
8973 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8974 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8975 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8976 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8977 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8978 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8979 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8980 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8981 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8982 the cross reference mechanism.
8984 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8985 @cindex overview.fmt
8986 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8987 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8988 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8989 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8990 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8991 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8994 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8995 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8996 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9001 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9004 @node Duplicate Suppression
9005 @section Duplicate Suppression
9007 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9008 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9009 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9010 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9015 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9016 is evil and not very common.
9019 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9020 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9023 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9024 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9027 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9030 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9031 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9033 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9034 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9035 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9036 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9037 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9038 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9039 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9042 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9043 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9044 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9045 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9046 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9050 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9051 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9052 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9054 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9055 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9056 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9057 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9058 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9059 session are suppressed.
9061 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9062 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9063 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9064 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9066 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9067 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9068 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9069 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9072 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9073 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9074 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9075 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9076 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9077 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9078 to you to figure out, I think.
9083 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9088 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9094 @item mm-verify-option
9095 @vindex mm-verify-option
9096 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9097 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9098 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9100 @item mm-decrypt-option
9101 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9102 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9103 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9104 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9108 @node The Article Buffer
9109 @chapter The Article Buffer
9110 @cindex article buffer
9112 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9113 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9114 tell gnus otherwise.
9117 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9118 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9119 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9120 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9121 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9125 @node Hiding Headers
9126 @section Hiding Headers
9127 @cindex hiding headers
9128 @cindex deleting headers
9130 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9131 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9133 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9134 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9135 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9136 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9137 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9138 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9139 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9140 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9141 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9143 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9147 @item gnus-visible-headers
9148 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9149 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9150 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9151 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9153 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9154 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9157 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9160 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9163 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9164 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9165 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9166 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9167 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9168 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9170 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9171 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9174 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9177 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9180 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9181 variable will have no effect.
9185 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9186 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9187 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9188 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9189 the headers are to be displayed.
9191 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9192 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9195 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9198 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9199 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9201 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9202 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9203 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9204 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9205 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9206 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9207 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9210 These conditions are:
9213 Remove all empty headers.
9215 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9216 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9218 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9221 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9224 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9227 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9229 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9232 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9235 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9236 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9239 This is also the default value for this variable.
9243 @section Using @sc{mime}
9246 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9247 while people stand around yawning.
9249 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9250 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9252 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9253 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9254 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9256 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9257 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9258 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9259 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9260 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9261 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9262 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9263 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9264 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9265 existed yet, sorry).
9267 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9268 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9269 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9270 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9271 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9272 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9274 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9275 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9276 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9277 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9278 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9279 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9280 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9281 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9282 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9285 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9287 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9288 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9289 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9290 buffer when there are nobody else.
9292 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9295 @node Customizing Articles
9296 @section Customizing Articles
9297 @cindex article customization
9299 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9300 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9301 called automatically when you select the articles.
9303 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9304 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9305 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9306 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9308 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9309 for sensible values.
9313 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9316 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9319 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9322 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9325 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9329 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9330 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9331 regexps in the list.
9334 A list where the first element is not a string:
9336 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9337 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9338 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9342 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9346 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9351 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9352 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9353 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9354 considered to contain just a single part.
9356 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9357 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9358 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9359 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9360 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9361 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9362 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9364 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9365 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9366 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9367 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9370 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9371 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9372 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9373 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9374 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9375 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9376 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9377 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9378 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9379 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9380 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9381 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9382 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9383 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9384 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9385 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9386 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9387 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9388 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9389 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9390 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9391 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9392 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9393 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9394 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9395 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9396 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9397 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9398 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9399 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9400 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9401 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9402 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9403 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9404 @item gnus-treat-translate
9405 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9408 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9409 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9410 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9411 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9412 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9416 @node Article Keymap
9417 @section Article Keymap
9419 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9420 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9421 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9422 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9425 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9430 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9431 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9432 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9435 @kindex DEL (Article)
9436 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9437 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9440 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9441 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9442 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9443 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9444 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9447 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9448 @findex gnus-article-mail
9449 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9450 given a prefix, include the mail.
9454 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9455 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9456 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9460 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9461 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9462 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9465 @kindex TAB (Article)
9466 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9467 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9468 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9471 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9472 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9473 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9479 @section Misc Article
9483 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9484 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9485 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9486 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9489 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9490 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9492 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9493 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9495 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9496 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9497 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9498 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9499 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9500 the contents of the article buffer.
9502 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9503 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9504 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9506 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9507 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9508 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9509 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9511 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9512 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9513 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9514 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9515 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9520 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9521 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9524 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9527 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9529 @item gnus-break-pages
9530 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9531 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9532 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9533 paging will not be done.
9535 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9536 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9537 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9542 @node Composing Messages
9543 @chapter Composing Messages
9544 @cindex composing messages
9547 @cindex sending mail
9553 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9554 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9555 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9556 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9557 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9558 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9561 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9562 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9563 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9564 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9565 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9566 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9567 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9568 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9571 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9572 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9578 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9581 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9582 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9583 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9584 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9586 @item gnus-add-to-list
9587 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9588 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9589 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9591 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9592 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9593 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9594 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9595 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9600 @node Posting Server
9601 @section Posting Server
9603 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9604 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9606 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9608 @vindex gnus-post-method
9610 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
9611 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9612 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9613 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9614 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9617 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9620 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9621 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9622 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9623 the ``current'' server for posting.
9625 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9626 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9628 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9629 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9632 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9633 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9634 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9639 @section Mail and Post
9641 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9645 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9646 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9647 @cindex mailing lists
9649 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9650 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9651 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9652 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9653 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9654 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9655 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9656 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9657 still a pain, though.
9661 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9662 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9663 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9666 @findex ispell-message
9668 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9671 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9672 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9675 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9678 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9679 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9681 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9684 Modify to suit your needs.
9687 @node Archived Messages
9688 @section Archived Messages
9689 @cindex archived messages
9690 @cindex sent messages
9692 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9693 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9694 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9695 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9698 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9699 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9700 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9704 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9705 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9706 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9707 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9710 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9711 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
9712 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9713 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9716 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9717 '(nnfolder "archive"
9718 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9719 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9720 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9723 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9725 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9726 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9727 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9729 This variable can be used to do the following:
9733 Messages will be saved in that group.
9735 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9736 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9737 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9738 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9739 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9740 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9741 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9742 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9744 @item a list of strings
9745 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9746 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9747 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9749 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9754 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9756 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9759 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9761 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9764 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9766 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9767 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9768 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9769 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9774 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9775 '((if (message-news-p)
9780 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9781 messages in one file per month:
9784 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9785 '((if (message-news-p)
9787 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9790 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9791 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9793 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9794 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9795 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9796 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9797 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9798 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9799 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9800 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9801 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9802 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9804 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9805 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9806 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9807 this will disable archiving.
9810 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9811 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9812 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9813 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9814 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9817 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9818 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9819 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9822 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9823 but the latter is the preferred method.
9825 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9826 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9827 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9832 @node Posting Styles
9833 @section Posting Styles
9834 @cindex posting styles
9837 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9839 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9840 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9841 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9844 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9845 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9846 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9847 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9848 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9853 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9854 (organization "What me?"))
9856 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9857 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9858 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9861 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9862 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9863 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9864 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9865 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9866 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9867 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9868 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9870 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9871 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9872 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9873 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9874 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9875 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9876 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9877 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9880 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9881 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9882 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9883 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9884 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9885 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9886 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9887 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9888 result is thrown away.
9890 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9891 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9892 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9893 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9894 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9895 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9897 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9898 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9899 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9901 @findex message-mail-p
9902 @findex message-news-p
9904 So here's a new example:
9907 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9909 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9911 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9912 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9914 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9915 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9916 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9918 (signature my-news-signature))
9919 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9920 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9921 ((posting-from-work-p)
9922 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9923 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9924 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9925 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9927 (From (save-excursion
9928 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
9929 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
9931 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9934 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
9935 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
9936 if you fill many roles.
9943 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9944 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9945 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9946 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9947 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9949 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9950 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9951 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9952 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9953 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9957 @vindex nndraft-directory
9958 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9959 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9960 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9961 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9962 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9963 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9965 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9966 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9969 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9970 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9971 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9972 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9973 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9974 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9975 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9976 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9977 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9978 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9979 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9980 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9981 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9982 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9984 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9985 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9986 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9988 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9990 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9991 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9992 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9994 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9997 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9998 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9999 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10000 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10001 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10002 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10003 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10006 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10007 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10008 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10011 @node Rejected Articles
10012 @section Rejected Articles
10013 @cindex rejected articles
10015 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10016 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10017 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10018 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10020 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10021 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10022 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10023 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10024 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10026 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10027 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10028 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10034 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el} and
10035 @file{mml2015.el}. When viewing signed or encrypted messages, Gnus automatically
10036 asks if you want to verify or decrypt them.
10038 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10039 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10042 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10043 (setq gpg-temp-directory "~/.gnupg/tmp")
10046 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10047 to 700, for your own safety.
10049 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10050 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10054 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10057 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10058 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10061 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10064 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security menu or
10065 @kbd{M-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{M-m s s} to sign your
10066 message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{M-m c p} to encrypt your message with
10067 PGP/MIME and @kbd{M-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME.
10069 Gnus will ask for your passphrase three times and then it will send your
10070 message, if you've typed it correctly.
10073 @node Select Methods
10074 @chapter Select Methods
10075 @cindex foreign groups
10076 @cindex select methods
10078 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10079 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10080 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10081 personal mail group.
10083 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10084 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10085 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10086 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10087 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10088 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10090 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10091 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10093 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10096 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10097 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10098 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10099 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10100 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10102 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10105 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10106 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10107 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10108 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10109 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10110 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10111 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10115 @node The Server Buffer
10116 @section The Server Buffer
10118 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10119 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10120 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10121 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10122 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10123 backend represents a virtual server.
10125 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10126 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10127 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10128 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10130 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10131 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10132 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10133 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10134 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10135 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10136 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10138 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10139 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10142 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10143 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10144 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10145 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10146 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10147 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10148 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10151 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10152 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10155 @node Server Buffer Format
10156 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10157 @cindex server buffer format
10159 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10160 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10161 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10162 variable, with some simple extensions:
10167 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10170 The name of this server.
10173 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10176 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10179 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10180 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10181 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10182 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10192 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10195 @node Server Commands
10196 @subsection Server Commands
10197 @cindex server commands
10203 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10204 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10208 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10209 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10212 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10213 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10214 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10218 @findex gnus-server-exit
10219 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10223 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10224 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10228 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10229 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10233 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10234 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10238 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10239 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10243 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10244 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10245 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10250 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10251 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10252 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10253 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10258 @node Example Methods
10259 @subsection Example Methods
10261 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10264 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10267 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10273 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10274 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10277 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10278 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10280 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10281 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10285 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10288 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10289 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10291 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10292 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10293 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10297 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10300 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10303 Here's the method for a public spool:
10307 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10308 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10314 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10315 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10316 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10317 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10318 should probably look something like this:
10322 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10323 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10324 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10325 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10326 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10329 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10330 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10331 server that would look something like this:
10335 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10336 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10337 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10338 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10339 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10340 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10343 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10344 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10345 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10346 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10349 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10350 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10352 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10353 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10355 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10356 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10357 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10359 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10361 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10362 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10363 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10364 will contain the following:
10374 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10375 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10376 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10379 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10380 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10381 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10384 @node Server Variables
10385 @subsection Server Variables
10387 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10388 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10389 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10390 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10391 won't change the "derived" variables.
10393 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10394 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10395 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10396 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10397 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10398 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10399 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10400 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10401 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10405 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10406 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10407 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10411 @node Servers and Methods
10412 @subsection Servers and Methods
10414 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10415 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10416 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10417 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10421 @node Unavailable Servers
10422 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10424 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10425 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10426 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10427 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10428 actually the case or not.
10430 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10431 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10432 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10433 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10434 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10435 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10436 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10437 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10439 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10440 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10442 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10443 with the following commands:
10449 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10450 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10451 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10455 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10456 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10457 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10461 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10462 Mark the current server as unreachable
10463 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10466 @kindex M-o (Server)
10467 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10468 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10469 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10472 @kindex M-c (Server)
10473 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10474 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10475 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10479 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10480 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10481 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10487 @section Getting News
10488 @cindex reading news
10489 @cindex news backends
10491 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10492 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10493 or it can read from a local spool.
10496 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10497 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10502 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10505 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10506 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10507 server as the, uhm, address.
10509 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10510 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10511 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10512 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10514 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10515 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10516 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10518 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10523 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10524 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10525 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10527 @cindex authentification
10528 @cindex nntp authentification
10529 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10530 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10531 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10532 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10533 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10534 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10535 present in this hook.
10537 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10538 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10539 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10540 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10541 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10542 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10543 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10544 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10545 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10546 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10547 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10548 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10552 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10555 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10557 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10558 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10559 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10560 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10561 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10562 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10563 @samp{force} is explained below.
10567 Here's an example file:
10570 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10571 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10574 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10575 have to be first, for instance.
10577 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10578 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10579 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10580 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10581 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10582 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10583 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10585 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10586 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10592 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10593 previously mentioned.
10595 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10597 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10598 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10599 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10600 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10601 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10604 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10605 '(("innd" (ding))))
10608 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10610 The default value is
10613 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10614 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10617 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10618 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10620 @item nntp-maximum-request
10621 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10622 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10623 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10624 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10625 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10626 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10627 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10629 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10630 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10631 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10632 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10633 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10634 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10635 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10636 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10637 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10638 no timeouts are done.
10640 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10641 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10642 @c @cindex PPP connections
10643 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10644 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10645 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10646 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10647 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10648 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10649 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10650 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10651 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10652 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10654 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10655 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10656 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10657 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10658 @c described above.
10660 @item nntp-server-hook
10661 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10662 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10665 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10666 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10667 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10668 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10669 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10670 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10671 functions are supplied:
10674 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10675 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10678 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10679 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10680 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10683 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10687 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10688 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10689 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10690 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10692 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10693 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10694 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10696 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10697 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10698 User name on the remote system.
10702 @item nntp-open-telnet
10703 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10704 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10706 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10709 @item nntp-telnet-command
10710 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10711 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10713 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10714 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10715 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10717 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10718 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10719 User name for log in on the remote system.
10721 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10722 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10723 Password to use when logging in.
10725 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10726 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10727 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10730 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10731 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10732 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10733 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10735 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10736 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10737 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10738 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10739 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10743 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10744 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10745 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10746 you must have SSLay installed
10747 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10748 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
10749 define a server as follows:
10752 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10754 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10756 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10757 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10758 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10759 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10764 @item nntp-end-of-line
10765 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10766 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10767 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10768 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10770 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10771 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10772 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10776 @vindex nntp-address
10777 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10779 @item nntp-port-number
10780 @vindex nntp-port-number
10781 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10784 @item nntp-list-options
10785 @vindex nntp-list-options
10786 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
10787 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
10788 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
10789 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
10790 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
10794 (setq gnus-select-method
10795 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10796 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
10799 @item nntp-options-subscribe
10800 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
10801 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
10802 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10803 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10804 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10805 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10808 (setq gnus-select-method
10809 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10810 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
10813 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
10814 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
10815 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
10816 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10817 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10818 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10819 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10822 (setq gnus-select-method
10823 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10824 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
10827 @item nntp-buggy-select
10828 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10829 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10831 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10832 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10833 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10834 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10837 @item nntp-xover-commands
10838 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10841 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10842 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10846 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10847 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10848 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10849 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10850 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10851 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10852 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10853 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10854 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10855 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10856 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10858 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10859 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10860 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10862 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10863 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10864 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10865 server closes connection.
10867 @item nntp-record-commands
10868 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10869 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10870 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10871 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10872 that doesn't seem to work.
10878 @subsection News Spool
10882 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10883 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10884 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10887 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10888 anything else) as the address.
10890 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10891 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10892 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10893 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10897 @item nnspool-inews-program
10898 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10899 Program used to post an article.
10901 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10902 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10903 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10905 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10906 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10907 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10908 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10910 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10911 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10912 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10913 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10915 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10916 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10917 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10919 @item nnspool-active-file
10920 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10921 The path to the active file.
10923 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10924 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10925 The path to the group descriptions file.
10927 @item nnspool-history-file
10928 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10929 The path to the news history file.
10931 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10932 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10933 The path to the active date file.
10935 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10936 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10937 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10940 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10941 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10943 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10944 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10945 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10951 @section Getting Mail
10952 @cindex reading mail
10955 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10959 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10960 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10961 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10962 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10963 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10964 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10965 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10966 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10967 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10968 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10969 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10970 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10971 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10975 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10976 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10978 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10979 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10980 of a culture shock.
10982 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10983 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10985 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10986 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10987 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10988 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10990 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10992 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10993 deleted? How awful!
10995 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10996 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10997 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10998 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11001 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11002 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11003 they want to treat a message.
11005 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11006 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11007 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11008 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11009 archived somewhere else.
11011 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11012 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11013 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11014 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11015 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11017 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11018 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11019 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11021 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11022 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11025 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11026 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11027 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11028 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11029 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11031 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11032 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11033 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11034 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11035 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11036 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11040 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11041 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11043 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11044 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11045 and things will happen automatically.
11047 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11048 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11051 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11052 '((nnml "private")))
11055 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11056 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11057 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11058 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11059 like any other group.
11061 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11064 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11065 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11066 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11070 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11071 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11072 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11075 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11076 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11077 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11080 @node Splitting Mail
11081 @subsection Splitting Mail
11082 @cindex splitting mail
11083 @cindex mail splitting
11085 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11086 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11087 to be split into groups.
11090 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11091 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11092 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11093 ("mail.other" "")))
11096 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11097 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11098 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11099 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11100 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11101 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11102 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11105 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11108 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11109 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11110 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11111 mail belongs in that group.
11113 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11114 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11115 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11116 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11117 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11118 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11120 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11121 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11122 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11123 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11124 thinks should carry this mail message.
11126 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11127 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11128 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11129 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11131 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11132 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11133 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11134 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11135 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11137 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11140 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11141 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11142 links. If that's the case for you, set
11143 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11144 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11146 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11147 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11148 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11149 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11150 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11151 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11154 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11155 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11156 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11157 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11158 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11159 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11160 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11161 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11162 month's rent money.
11166 @subsection Mail Sources
11168 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11169 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11173 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11174 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11175 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11179 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11180 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11182 @cindex mail server
11185 @cindex mail source
11187 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11188 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11193 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11196 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11197 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11198 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11201 The following mail source types are available:
11205 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11211 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11212 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11215 An example file mail source:
11218 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11221 Or using the default path:
11227 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11228 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11229 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11232 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11236 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11239 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11243 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11246 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11248 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11251 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11255 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11256 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11257 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11258 scan the mail source only once.
11264 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11268 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11272 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11273 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11274 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11275 predicate are considered.
11279 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11283 An example directory mail source:
11286 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11291 Get mail from a POP server.
11297 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11298 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11301 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11302 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11303 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11304 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11305 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11308 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11312 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11316 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11317 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11320 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11323 The valid format specifier characters are:
11327 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11328 included in this string.
11331 The name of the server.
11334 The port number of the server.
11337 The user name to use.
11340 The password to use.
11343 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11344 corresponding keywords.
11347 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11348 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11351 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11352 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11355 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11356 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11359 @item :authentication
11360 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11361 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11366 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11367 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11369 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11370 default user name, and default fetcher:
11376 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11379 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11380 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11383 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11386 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11390 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11391 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11392 contains exactly one mail.
11398 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11399 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11402 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11403 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11405 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11406 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11407 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11410 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11411 from locking problems).
11415 Two example maildir mail sources:
11418 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11422 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11426 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11427 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11428 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11429 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11435 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11436 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11439 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11440 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11443 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11447 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11451 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11452 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11453 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11455 @item :authentication
11456 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11457 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11458 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11462 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11463 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11466 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11467 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11468 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11469 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11470 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11471 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11474 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11475 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11476 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11477 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11480 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11481 after finishing the fetch.
11485 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11488 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11492 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11493 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11495 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11498 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11499 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11501 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11507 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11508 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11511 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11515 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11519 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11520 folder after finishing the fetch.
11524 An example webmail source:
11527 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11532 @item Common Keywords
11533 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11539 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11540 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11544 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11549 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11550 useful when you use local mail and news.
11555 @subsubsection Function Interface
11557 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11558 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11559 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11560 consider the following mail-source setting:
11563 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11564 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11567 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11568 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11569 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11570 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11571 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11573 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11576 @node Mail Source Customization
11577 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11579 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11580 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11584 @item mail-source-crash-box
11585 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11586 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11587 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11589 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11590 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11591 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11593 @item mail-source-directory
11594 @vindex mail-source-directory
11595 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11596 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11597 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11600 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11601 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11602 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11603 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11604 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11605 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11607 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11608 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11609 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11614 @node Fetching Mail
11615 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11617 @vindex mail-sources
11618 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11619 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11620 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11621 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11623 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11624 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11627 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11628 mail server, you'd say something like:
11633 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11634 :password "secret")))
11637 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11641 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11642 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11645 :password "secret")))
11649 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11650 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11651 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11652 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11653 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11654 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11658 @node Mail Backend Variables
11659 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11661 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11665 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11666 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11667 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11668 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11670 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11671 @item nnmail-split-hook
11672 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11673 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11674 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11675 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11676 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11677 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11678 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11679 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11680 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11683 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11684 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11685 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11686 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11687 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11688 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11689 starting to handle the new mail) and
11690 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11691 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11692 default file modes the new mail files get:
11695 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11696 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11698 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11699 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11702 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11703 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11704 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11705 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11706 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11707 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11708 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11710 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11711 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11712 @findex delete-file
11713 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11715 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11716 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11717 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11718 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11719 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11724 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11725 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11726 @cindex mail splitting
11727 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11729 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11730 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11731 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11732 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11733 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11734 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11736 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11739 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11740 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11741 ;; from real errors.
11742 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11744 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11745 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11746 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11747 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11748 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11749 ;; Other mailing lists...
11750 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11751 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11752 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11753 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11754 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11755 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11756 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11757 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11759 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11760 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11764 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11765 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11766 the five possible split syntaxes:
11771 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11772 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11776 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11777 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11778 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11779 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11780 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11781 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11782 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11783 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11786 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11787 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11788 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11789 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11792 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11793 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11796 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11797 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11800 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11801 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11802 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11803 function should return a @var{split}.
11805 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11806 body of the messages:
11809 (defun split-on-body ()
11811 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11812 (goto-char (point-min))
11813 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11818 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11819 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11820 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11824 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11828 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11829 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11830 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11831 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11832 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11834 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11835 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11836 are expanded as specified by the variable
11837 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11838 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11841 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11842 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11843 when all this splitting is performed.
11845 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11846 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11847 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11850 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11853 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11854 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11856 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11857 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11858 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11859 groupings 1 through 9.
11861 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11862 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11863 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11864 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11865 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11866 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11867 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11868 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11869 it once per thread.
11871 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11872 non-nil value. And then you can include
11873 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11875 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11876 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11877 ;; other splits go here
11881 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11882 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11883 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11884 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11885 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11886 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11887 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11888 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11889 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11890 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11891 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11892 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
11894 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11895 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
11896 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
11897 messages goes into the new group.
11900 @node Group Mail Splitting
11901 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11902 @cindex mail splitting
11903 @cindex group mail splitting
11905 @findex gnus-group-split
11906 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11907 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11908 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11909 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11910 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11911 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11912 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11913 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11915 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11916 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11917 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11918 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11920 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11921 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11922 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11923 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11924 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11925 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11926 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11928 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11929 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11930 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11931 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11932 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11933 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11934 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11936 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11937 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11938 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11939 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11940 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11941 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11942 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11943 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11944 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11945 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11946 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11947 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11948 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
11950 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11955 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11956 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11958 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11959 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11960 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11961 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11963 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11966 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11967 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11968 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11971 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11972 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11973 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11977 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11978 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11979 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11983 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11986 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11987 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11988 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11989 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
11990 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
11991 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11992 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11993 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11994 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11996 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11997 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11998 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11999 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12000 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12001 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12002 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12003 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12004 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12006 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12007 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12008 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12009 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12010 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12011 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12014 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12017 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12018 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12019 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12020 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12021 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12024 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12025 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12026 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12027 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12029 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12030 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12032 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12033 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12034 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12037 Doing so can be quite easy.
12039 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12040 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12041 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12042 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12043 your @code{nnml} groups.
12049 Go to the group buffer.
12052 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12053 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12056 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12059 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12060 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12063 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12064 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12067 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12068 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12069 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12070 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12071 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12073 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12074 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12075 using the new mail backend.
12078 @node Expiring Mail
12079 @subsection Expiring Mail
12080 @cindex article expiry
12082 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12083 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12084 different approach to mail reading.
12086 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12087 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12088 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12089 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12090 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12091 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12094 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12095 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12096 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12097 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12098 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12099 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12100 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12101 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12103 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12104 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12105 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12106 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12107 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12108 column in the summary buffer.
12110 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12111 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12112 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12113 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12116 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12118 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12119 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12120 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12123 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12124 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12125 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12126 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12127 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12129 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12130 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12133 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12134 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12137 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12138 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12140 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12141 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12142 don't really mix very well.
12144 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12145 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12146 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12147 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12150 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12151 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12152 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12153 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12156 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12158 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12160 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12162 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12164 ((string= group "important")
12170 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12171 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12173 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12174 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12175 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12178 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12179 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12181 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12182 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12183 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12184 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12185 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12186 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12187 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12188 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12189 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12190 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12191 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12192 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12195 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12197 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12201 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12202 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12203 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12204 easier for procmail users.
12206 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12207 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12208 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12209 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12210 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12211 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12212 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12213 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12214 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12215 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12216 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12217 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12218 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12221 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12223 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12224 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12225 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12226 auto-expire turned on.
12230 @subsection Washing Mail
12231 @cindex mail washing
12232 @cindex list server brain damage
12233 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12235 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12236 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12237 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12238 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12239 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12240 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12242 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12243 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12244 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12247 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12248 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12249 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12250 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12253 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12254 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12255 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12256 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12257 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12260 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12261 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12262 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12263 Emacs running on MS machines.
12267 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12268 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12269 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12270 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12273 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12274 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12275 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12276 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12278 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12279 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12280 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12281 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12282 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12283 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12284 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12287 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12288 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12291 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12292 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12295 This can also be done non-destructively with
12296 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12298 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12299 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12300 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12302 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12303 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12305 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12306 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12307 @code{References} headers.
12311 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12312 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12313 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12317 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12318 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12319 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12326 @subsection Duplicates
12328 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12329 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12330 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12331 @cindex duplicate mails
12332 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12333 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12334 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12335 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12336 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12337 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12338 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12339 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12340 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12341 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12342 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12343 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12344 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12346 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12347 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12348 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12349 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12351 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12354 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12355 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12359 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12360 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12361 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12362 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12363 (any mail "mail.misc")
12370 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12371 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12376 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12377 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12378 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12379 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12380 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12383 @node Not Reading Mail
12384 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12386 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12387 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12388 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12390 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12391 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12392 mail, which should help.
12394 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12395 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12396 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12397 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12398 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12399 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12400 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12401 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12402 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12403 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12404 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12406 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12407 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12411 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12412 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12414 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12415 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12416 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12418 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12419 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12420 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12421 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12424 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12425 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12426 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12427 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12428 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12429 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12433 @node Unix Mail Box
12434 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12436 @cindex unix mail box
12438 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12439 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12440 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12441 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12442 which group it belongs in.
12444 Virtual server settings:
12447 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12448 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12449 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12451 @item nnmbox-active-file
12452 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12453 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12455 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12456 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12457 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12463 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12467 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12468 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12469 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12470 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12471 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12473 Virtual server settings:
12476 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12477 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12478 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12480 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12481 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12482 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12484 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12485 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12486 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12491 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12493 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12495 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12496 format. It should be used with some caution.
12498 @vindex nnml-directory
12499 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12500 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12501 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12502 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12504 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12507 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12508 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12509 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12510 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12511 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12512 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12513 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12514 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12516 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12517 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12518 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12519 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12521 Virtual server settings:
12524 @item nnml-directory
12525 @vindex nnml-directory
12526 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12528 @item nnml-active-file
12529 @vindex nnml-active-file
12530 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12532 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12533 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12534 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12537 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12538 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12539 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12541 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12542 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12543 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12545 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12546 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12547 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12549 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12550 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12551 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12555 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12556 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12557 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12558 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12559 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12560 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12561 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12566 @subsubsection MH Spool
12568 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12570 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12571 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12572 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12573 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12575 Virtual server settings:
12578 @item nnmh-directory
12579 @vindex nnmh-directory
12580 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12582 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12583 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12584 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12587 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12588 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12589 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12590 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12591 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12592 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12593 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12598 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12600 @cindex mbox folders
12601 @cindex mail folders
12603 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12604 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12605 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12608 Virtual server settings:
12611 @item nnfolder-directory
12612 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12613 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12615 @item nnfolder-active-file
12616 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12617 The name of the active file.
12619 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12620 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12621 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12623 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12624 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12625 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12627 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12628 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12629 @cindex backup files
12630 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12631 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12632 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12633 your @file{.emacs} file:
12636 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12637 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12639 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12642 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12643 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12644 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12645 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12646 extract some information from it before removing it.
12648 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12649 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12650 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12655 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12656 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12657 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12658 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12659 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12660 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12663 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12664 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12666 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12667 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12668 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12669 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12670 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12672 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12673 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12674 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12675 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12676 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12677 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12678 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12679 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12682 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12683 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12684 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12685 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12690 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12691 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12692 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12693 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12694 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12695 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12696 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12697 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12698 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12699 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12700 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12701 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12702 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12707 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12708 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12709 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12710 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12711 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12712 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12713 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12714 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12715 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12716 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12717 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12718 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12719 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12720 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12722 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12723 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12728 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12729 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12730 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12731 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12732 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12733 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12734 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12735 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12736 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12737 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12738 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12739 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12740 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12741 provided by the active file and overviews.
12743 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12744 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12745 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12746 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12747 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12750 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12751 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12756 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12757 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12758 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12759 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12760 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12761 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12762 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12766 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12767 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12768 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12769 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12770 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12771 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12772 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12773 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12774 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12776 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12777 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12778 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12779 friendly mail backend all over.
12784 @node Browsing the Web
12785 @section Browsing the Web
12787 @cindex browsing the web
12791 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12792 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12793 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12794 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12795 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12796 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12797 even know what a news group is.
12799 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12800 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12801 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12802 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12803 you mad in the end.
12805 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12808 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12809 interfaces to these sources.
12812 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12813 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12814 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12815 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12816 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12819 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12821 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12822 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12823 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12824 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12825 though, you should be ok.
12827 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12828 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12829 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12830 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12831 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12835 @subsection Web Searches
12839 @cindex InReference
12840 @cindex Usenet searches
12841 @cindex searching the Usenet
12843 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12844 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12845 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12846 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12847 searches without having to use a browser.
12849 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12850 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12851 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12852 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12853 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12855 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12856 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12857 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12858 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12859 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12860 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12861 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12862 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12863 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12864 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12867 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12868 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12869 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12870 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12871 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12872 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12874 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12875 to use @code{nnweb}.
12877 Virtual server variables:
12882 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12883 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12887 @vindex nnweb-search
12888 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12890 @item nnweb-max-hits
12891 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12892 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12895 @item nnweb-type-definition
12896 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12897 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12898 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12903 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12907 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12910 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12913 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12917 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12924 @subsection Slashdot
12928 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12929 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12930 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12932 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12933 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12936 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12937 '((nnslashdot "")))
12940 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12941 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12942 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12943 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12944 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12947 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12948 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12950 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12951 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12952 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12953 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12954 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12955 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12958 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12961 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12962 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12963 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12964 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12965 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12966 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12967 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12969 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12970 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12971 The login name to use when posting.
12973 @item nnslashdot-password
12974 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12975 The password to use when posting.
12977 @item nnslashdot-directory
12978 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12979 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12980 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12982 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12983 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12984 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12985 news articles and comments. The default is
12986 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12988 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12989 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12990 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12992 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12994 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12995 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12996 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12998 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13000 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13001 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13002 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13004 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13005 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13006 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13007 updated. The default is 0.
13014 @subsection Ultimate
13016 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13018 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13019 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13020 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13021 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13023 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13024 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13025 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13026 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13027 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13028 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13029 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13031 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13034 @item nnultimate-directory
13035 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13036 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13037 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13042 @subsection Web Archive
13044 @cindex Web Archive
13046 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13047 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13048 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13049 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13052 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13053 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13054 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13055 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13056 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13057 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13058 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13060 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13063 @item nnwarchive-directory
13064 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13065 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13066 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13068 @item nnwarchive-login
13069 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13070 The account name on the web server.
13072 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13073 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13074 The password for your account on the web server.
13078 @node Customizing w3
13079 @subsection Customizing w3
13085 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13086 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13087 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13089 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13090 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13091 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13094 (eval-after-load "w3"
13096 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13097 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13098 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13099 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13101 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13104 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13105 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13109 @node Other Sources
13110 @section Other Sources
13112 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13113 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13117 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13118 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13119 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13120 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13121 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13122 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13126 @node Directory Groups
13127 @subsection Directory Groups
13129 @cindex directory groups
13131 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13132 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13135 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13136 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13137 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13138 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13140 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13141 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13142 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13143 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13144 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13146 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13148 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13149 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13150 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13151 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13154 @node Anything Groups
13155 @subsection Anything Groups
13158 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13159 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13160 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13163 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13164 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13165 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13166 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13167 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13168 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13169 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13170 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13171 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13172 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13175 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13176 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13177 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13178 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13180 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13181 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13182 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13183 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13185 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13186 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13187 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13188 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13189 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13190 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13191 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13192 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13197 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13198 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13199 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13200 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13202 @item nneething-exclude-files
13203 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13204 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13205 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13207 @item nneething-include-files
13208 @vindex nneething-include-files
13209 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13210 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13212 @item nneething-map-file
13213 @vindex nneething-map-file
13214 Name of the map files.
13218 @node Document Groups
13219 @subsection Document Groups
13221 @cindex documentation group
13224 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13225 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13232 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13237 The standard Unix mbox file.
13239 @cindex MMDF mail box
13241 The MMDF mail box format.
13244 Several news articles appended into a file.
13247 @cindex rnews batch files
13248 The rnews batch transport format.
13249 @cindex forwarded messages
13252 Forwarded articles.
13255 Netscape mail boxes.
13258 MIME multipart messages.
13260 @item standard-digest
13261 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13264 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13267 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13268 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13269 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13272 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13273 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13274 group. And that's it.
13276 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13277 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13278 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13279 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13280 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13281 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13282 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13283 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13284 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13285 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13287 Virtual server variables:
13290 @item nndoc-article-type
13291 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13292 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13293 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13294 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13295 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13297 @item nndoc-post-type
13298 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13299 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13300 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13305 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13309 @node Document Server Internals
13310 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13312 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13313 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13314 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13315 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13317 First, here's an example document type definition:
13321 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13322 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13325 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13326 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13327 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13328 types can be defined with very few settings:
13331 @item first-article
13332 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13333 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13336 @item article-begin
13337 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13338 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13340 @item head-begin-function
13341 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13344 @item nndoc-head-begin
13345 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13348 @item nndoc-head-end
13349 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13350 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13352 @item body-begin-function
13353 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13357 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13360 @item body-end-function
13361 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13365 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13368 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13369 regexp will be totally ignored.
13373 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13374 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13375 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13376 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13377 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13380 @item prepare-body-function
13381 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13382 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13383 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13385 @item article-transform-function
13386 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13387 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13388 body of the article.
13390 @item generate-head-function
13391 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13392 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13393 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13394 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13398 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13403 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13404 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13405 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13406 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13407 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13408 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13409 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13410 (subtype digest guess))
13413 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13414 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13415 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13416 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13417 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13419 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13420 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13421 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13422 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13423 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
13424 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13425 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13426 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13427 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13428 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13436 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13437 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13438 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13440 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13441 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13442 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13445 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13446 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13447 that interested in doing things properly.
13449 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13450 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13453 First some terminology:
13458 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13459 get news and/or mail from.
13462 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13463 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13466 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13470 @item message packets
13471 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13472 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13473 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13475 @item response packets
13476 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13477 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13478 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13488 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13489 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13490 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13491 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13494 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13497 You put the packet in your home directory.
13500 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13501 the native or secondary server.
13504 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13505 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13508 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13512 You transfer this packet to the server.
13515 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13518 You then repeat until you die.
13522 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13523 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13526 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13527 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13528 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13532 @node SOUP Commands
13533 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13535 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13539 @kindex G s b (Group)
13540 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13541 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13542 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13543 process/prefix convention.
13546 @kindex G s w (Group)
13547 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13548 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13551 @kindex G s s (Group)
13552 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13553 Send all replies from the replies packet
13554 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13557 @kindex G s p (Group)
13558 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13559 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13562 @kindex G s r (Group)
13563 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13564 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13567 @kindex O s (Summary)
13568 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13569 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13570 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13571 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13576 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13581 @item gnus-soup-directory
13582 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13583 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13584 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13586 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13587 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13588 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13589 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13591 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13592 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13593 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13594 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13596 @item gnus-soup-packer
13597 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13598 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13599 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13601 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13602 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13603 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13604 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13606 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13607 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13608 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13610 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13611 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13612 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13613 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13619 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13622 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13623 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13624 you can read them at leisure.
13626 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13630 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13631 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13632 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13633 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13635 @item nnsoup-directory
13636 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13637 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13638 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13640 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13641 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13642 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13643 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13645 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13646 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13647 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13648 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13649 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13651 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13652 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13653 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13654 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13656 @item nnsoup-active-file
13657 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13658 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13659 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13660 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13661 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13663 @item nnsoup-packer
13664 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13665 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13666 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13668 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13669 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13670 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13671 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13673 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13674 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13675 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13678 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13679 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13680 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13683 @item nnsoup-always-save
13684 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13685 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13691 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13693 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13694 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13695 more for that to happen.
13697 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13698 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13699 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13702 In specific, this is what it does:
13705 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13706 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13709 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13710 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13711 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13714 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13715 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13716 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13719 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13720 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13721 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13723 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13729 @item nngateway-address
13730 @vindex nngateway-address
13731 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13733 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13734 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13735 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13736 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13737 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13738 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13739 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13742 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13743 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13744 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13747 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13750 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13753 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13756 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13758 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13761 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13762 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13763 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13765 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13767 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13768 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13769 @code{nngateway-address}.
13774 (setq gnus-post-method
13775 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13776 (nngateway-header-transformation
13777 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13785 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13788 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13794 @subsection @sc{imap}
13798 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13799 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13800 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13801 network address of the server.
13803 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13804 might look something like this:
13807 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13808 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13809 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13811 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13812 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13813 ; a UW server running on localhost
13815 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13816 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13817 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13818 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13819 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13820 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13821 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13822 (nnimap-stream network))
13823 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13825 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13826 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13827 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13830 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13835 @item nnimap-address
13836 @vindex nnimap-address
13838 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13839 server name if not specified.
13841 @item nnimap-server-port
13842 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13843 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13845 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13848 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13849 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13852 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13853 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13854 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13855 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13856 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13857 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13858 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13860 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13861 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13862 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13865 Example server specification:
13868 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13869 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13870 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13873 @item nnimap-stream
13874 @vindex nnimap-stream
13875 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13876 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13877 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13878 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13880 Example server specification:
13883 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13884 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13887 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13891 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13892 @samp{imtest} program.
13894 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13896 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13897 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13900 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13901 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13903 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13905 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13908 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13909 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13910 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13911 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13914 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13915 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13916 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13917 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
13918 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13919 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13920 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13923 @vindex imap-shell-program
13924 @vindex imap-shell-host
13925 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13926 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13928 @item nnimap-authenticator
13929 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13931 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13932 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13934 Example server specification:
13937 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13938 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
13941 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
13945 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13946 external program @code{imtest}.
13948 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13951 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13952 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13954 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13956 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13958 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13961 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13963 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13964 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13965 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13966 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13967 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13968 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13971 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13972 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13973 running in circles yet?
13975 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13976 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13979 The possible options are:
13984 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13987 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13988 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13989 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13990 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13992 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13997 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13998 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14000 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
14001 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
14002 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
14004 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14005 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14006 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14012 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14013 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14014 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14019 @node Splitting in IMAP
14020 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14021 @cindex splitting imap mail
14023 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14024 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14025 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14026 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14027 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14031 Here are the variables of interest:
14035 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14036 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14038 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14040 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14041 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14043 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14045 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14046 @cindex splitting, inbox
14048 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14050 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14051 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14055 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14056 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14059 No nnmail equivalent.
14061 @item nnimap-split-rule
14062 @cindex Splitting, rules
14063 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14065 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14068 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14069 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14070 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14071 Neither did I, we need examples.
14074 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14075 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14076 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14077 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14080 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14081 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14082 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14084 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14085 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14089 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14092 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14093 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14094 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14095 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14097 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14098 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14099 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14100 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14101 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14102 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14104 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14105 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14106 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14108 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14109 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14110 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14112 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14114 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14115 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14116 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14119 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14120 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14121 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14122 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14123 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14124 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14127 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14128 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14129 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14130 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14131 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14132 group/function elements.
14134 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14136 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14138 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14140 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14141 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14143 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14144 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14145 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14148 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14149 @cindex splitting, fancy
14150 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14151 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14153 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14154 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14155 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14157 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14158 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14159 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14160 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14165 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14166 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14169 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14173 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14174 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14175 @cindex editing imap acls
14176 @cindex Access Control Lists
14177 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14179 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14181 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14182 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14183 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14186 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14187 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14188 editing window with detailed instructions.
14190 Some possible uses:
14194 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14195 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14196 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14198 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14199 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14200 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14204 @node Expunging mailboxes
14205 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14209 @cindex Manual expunging
14211 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14213 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14214 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14215 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14217 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14222 @node Combined Groups
14223 @section Combined Groups
14225 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14229 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14230 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14234 @node Virtual Groups
14235 @subsection Virtual Groups
14237 @cindex virtual groups
14238 @cindex merging groups
14240 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14243 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14244 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14245 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14247 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14248 regexp to match component groups.
14250 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14251 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14252 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14253 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14254 the virtual group.)
14256 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14257 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14260 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14263 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14264 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14266 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14267 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14268 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14269 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14272 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14275 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14276 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14277 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14279 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14280 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14281 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14282 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14283 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14285 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14286 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14287 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14289 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14290 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14291 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14292 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14293 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14294 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14295 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14296 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14297 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14298 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14299 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14301 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14302 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14303 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14304 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14305 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14306 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14307 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14309 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14310 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14314 @node Kibozed Groups
14315 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14319 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14320 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14321 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14322 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14324 @kindex G k (Group)
14325 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14328 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14329 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14330 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14331 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14333 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14334 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14335 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14337 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14338 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14339 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14340 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14341 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14342 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14343 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14344 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14346 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14347 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14348 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14349 Stranger things have happened.
14351 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14352 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14354 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14355 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14356 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14357 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14358 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14359 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14361 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14362 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14365 @node Gnus Unplugged
14366 @section Gnus Unplugged
14371 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14373 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14374 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14375 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14376 read news. Believe it or not.
14378 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14379 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14380 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14381 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14382 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14384 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14385 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14386 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14387 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14388 reading news on a machine.
14390 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14394 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14395 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14399 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14400 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14407 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14409 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14412 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14413 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14414 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14415 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14416 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14417 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14418 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14419 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14420 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14421 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14426 @subsection Agent Basics
14428 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14430 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14431 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14432 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14433 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14435 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14436 connected to the net continuously.
14438 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14439 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14441 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14446 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14447 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14448 already fetched while in this mode.
14451 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14452 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14453 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14454 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14455 Source Specifiers}).
14458 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14459 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14460 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14461 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14462 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14465 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14466 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14467 then you read the news offline.
14470 And then you go to step 2.
14473 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14479 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14480 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14481 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14482 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14483 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14484 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14487 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14494 @node Agent Categories
14495 @subsection Agent Categories
14497 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14498 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14499 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14500 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14501 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14502 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14503 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14505 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14506 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14507 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14508 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14509 managing categories.
14512 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14513 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14514 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14518 @node Category Syntax
14519 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14521 A category consists of two things.
14525 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14526 are eligible for downloading; and
14529 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14530 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14531 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14534 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14535 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14536 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14537 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14539 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14540 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14541 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14543 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14544 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14545 operators sprinkled in between.
14547 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14549 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14550 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14556 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14557 short (for some value of ``short'').
14559 Here's a more complex predicate:
14568 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14569 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14572 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14573 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14574 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14576 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14577 you want to do, you can write your own.
14581 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14582 lines; default 100.
14585 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14586 lines; default 200.
14589 True iff the article has a download score less than
14590 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14593 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14594 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14597 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14598 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14599 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14608 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14609 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14610 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14613 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14614 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14615 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14616 something along the lines of the following:
14619 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14620 "Say whether an article is old."
14621 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14622 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14625 with the predicate then defined as:
14628 (not my-article-old-p)
14631 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14632 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14633 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14634 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14637 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14638 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14639 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14642 and simply specify your predicate as:
14648 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14649 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14650 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14651 just don't give a damn.
14653 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14654 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14655 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14656 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14657 parameters like so:
14660 (agent-predicate . short)
14663 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14664 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14665 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14667 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14670 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14673 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14674 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14675 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14678 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14679 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14680 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14681 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14682 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14683 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14685 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14686 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14687 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14688 if it's to be specific to that group.
14690 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14697 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14698 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14704 Category specification
14708 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14714 Group Parameter specification
14717 (agent-score ("from"
14718 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14723 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14729 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14736 Category specification
14739 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14745 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14749 Group Parameter specification
14752 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14755 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14760 Use @code{normal} score files
14762 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14763 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14764 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14765 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14767 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14768 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14769 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14770 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14774 Category Specification
14781 Group Parameter specification
14784 (agent-score . file)
14789 @node The Category Buffer
14790 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14792 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14793 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14794 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14796 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14800 @kindex q (Category)
14801 @findex gnus-category-exit
14802 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14805 @kindex k (Category)
14806 @findex gnus-category-kill
14807 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14810 @kindex c (Category)
14811 @findex gnus-category-copy
14812 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14815 @kindex a (Category)
14816 @findex gnus-category-add
14817 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14820 @kindex p (Category)
14821 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14822 Edit the predicate of the current category
14823 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14826 @kindex g (Category)
14827 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14828 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14829 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14832 @kindex s (Category)
14833 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14834 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14835 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14838 @kindex l (Category)
14839 @findex gnus-category-list
14840 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14844 @node Category Variables
14845 @subsubsection Category Variables
14848 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14849 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14850 Hook run in category buffers.
14852 @item gnus-category-line-format
14853 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14854 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14855 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14859 The name of the category.
14862 The number of groups in the category.
14865 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14866 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14867 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14869 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14870 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14871 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14873 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14874 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14875 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14877 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14878 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14879 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14882 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14883 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14884 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14890 @node Agent Commands
14891 @subsection Agent Commands
14893 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14894 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14895 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14899 * Group Agent Commands::
14900 * Summary Agent Commands::
14901 * Server Agent Commands::
14904 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14905 following incantation:
14907 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14909 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14914 @node Group Agent Commands
14915 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14919 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14920 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14921 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14922 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14925 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14926 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14927 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14930 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14931 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14932 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14933 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14936 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14937 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14938 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14939 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14942 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14943 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14944 Add the current group to an Agent category
14945 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14946 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14949 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14950 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14951 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14952 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14953 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14956 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
14957 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
14958 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
14964 @node Summary Agent Commands
14965 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14969 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14970 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14971 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14974 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14975 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14976 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14977 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14980 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14981 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14982 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14985 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14986 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14987 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14992 @node Server Agent Commands
14993 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14997 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14998 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14999 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15000 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15003 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15004 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15005 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15006 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15012 @subsection Agent Expiry
15014 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15015 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15016 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15017 @cindex Agent expiry
15018 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15021 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15022 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15023 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15024 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15025 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15026 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15028 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15029 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15030 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15031 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15032 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15035 @node Agent and IMAP
15036 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15038 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However, since
15039 there are some conceptual differences between NNTP and IMAP, this
15040 section (should) provide you with some information to make Gnus Agent
15041 work smoother as a IMAP Disconnected Mode client.
15043 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15044 are kept on the IMAP server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15045 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15046 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15048 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15049 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15050 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15051 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15052 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15054 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15055 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15056 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15057 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15058 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15059 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15061 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15062 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15063 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15064 in the group buffer by default.
15066 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15067 expect from a disconnected IMAP client, including:
15072 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15075 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15079 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15080 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15081 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15082 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15083 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15084 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15085 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15086 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15089 @node Outgoing Messages
15090 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15092 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15093 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15094 after posting, and edit them at will.
15096 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15097 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15098 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15099 messages in the draft group.
15103 @node Agent Variables
15104 @subsection Agent Variables
15107 @item gnus-agent-directory
15108 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15109 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15110 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15112 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15113 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15114 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15115 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15116 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15119 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15120 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15121 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15123 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15124 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15125 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15130 @node Example Setup
15131 @subsection Example Setup
15133 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15134 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15135 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15138 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15139 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15140 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15142 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15143 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15144 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15146 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15147 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15149 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15153 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15154 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15157 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15158 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15159 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15160 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15161 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15164 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15165 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15166 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15167 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15168 back all the killed groups.)
15170 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15171 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15172 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15175 @node Batching Agents
15176 @subsection Batching Agents
15178 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15179 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15180 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15184 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15188 @node Agent Caveats
15189 @subsection Agent Caveats
15191 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15192 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15196 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15201 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15202 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15208 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15209 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15216 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15217 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15218 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15221 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15222 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15223 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15224 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15225 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15227 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15228 before generating the summary buffer.
15230 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15231 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15232 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15234 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15235 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15236 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15237 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15240 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15241 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15242 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15243 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15244 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15245 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15246 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15247 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15248 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15249 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15250 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15251 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15252 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15253 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15254 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15255 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15259 @node Summary Score Commands
15260 @section Summary Score Commands
15261 @cindex score commands
15263 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15264 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15265 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15266 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15267 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15269 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15270 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15271 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15272 score file the current one.
15274 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15279 @kindex V s (Summary)
15280 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15281 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15284 @kindex V S (Summary)
15285 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15286 Display the score of the current article
15287 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15290 @kindex V t (Summary)
15291 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15292 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15293 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15296 @kindex V R (Summary)
15297 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15298 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15299 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15300 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15301 effect you're having.
15304 @kindex V c (Summary)
15305 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15306 Make a different score file the current
15307 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15310 @kindex V e (Summary)
15311 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15312 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15313 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15317 @kindex V f (Summary)
15318 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15319 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15320 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15323 @kindex V F (Summary)
15324 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15325 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15326 after editing score files.
15329 @kindex V C (Summary)
15330 @findex gnus-score-customize
15331 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15332 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15336 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15341 @kindex V m (Summary)
15342 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15343 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15344 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15347 @kindex V x (Summary)
15348 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15349 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15350 expunge all articles below this score
15351 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15354 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15355 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15358 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15359 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15363 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15364 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15366 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15367 keys are available:
15371 Score on the author name.
15374 Score on the subject line.
15377 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15380 Score on the @code{References} line.
15386 Score on the number of lines.
15389 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15392 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15393 the followups to this author.
15407 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15408 what headers you are scoring on.
15420 Substring matching.
15423 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15452 Greater than number.
15457 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15458 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15459 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15463 Temporary score entry.
15466 Permanent score entry.
15469 Immediately scoring.
15474 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15475 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15476 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15477 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15479 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15480 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15481 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15482 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15483 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15485 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15486 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15487 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15488 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15489 current score file.
15491 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15492 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15493 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15496 @node Group Score Commands
15497 @section Group Score Commands
15498 @cindex group score commands
15500 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15505 @kindex W f (Group)
15506 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15507 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15508 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15509 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15513 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15515 @findex gnus-batch-score
15516 @cindex batch scoring
15518 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15522 @node Score Variables
15523 @section Score Variables
15524 @cindex score variables
15528 @item gnus-use-scoring
15529 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15530 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15531 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15533 @item gnus-kill-killed
15534 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15535 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15536 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15537 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15538 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15539 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15540 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15542 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15543 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15544 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15545 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15546 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15548 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15549 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15550 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15551 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15553 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15554 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15555 @cindex score cache
15556 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15557 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15558 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
15559 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15560 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15561 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15564 @item gnus-save-score
15565 @vindex gnus-save-score
15566 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15567 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15568 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15570 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15571 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15572 across group visits.
15574 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15575 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15576 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15577 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15578 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15579 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15580 manually entered data.
15582 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15583 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15584 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15586 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15587 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15588 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15589 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15590 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15591 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15593 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15594 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15595 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15596 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15598 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15599 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15600 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15601 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15603 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15604 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15605 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15606 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15608 Predefined functions available are:
15611 @item gnus-score-find-single
15612 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15613 Only apply the group's own score file.
15615 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15616 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15617 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15618 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15619 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15620 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15621 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15622 then a regexp match is done.
15624 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15625 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15627 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15628 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15629 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15630 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15632 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15633 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15634 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15635 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15636 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15640 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15641 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15642 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15643 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15644 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15645 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15646 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15648 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15649 overall score file, you could use the value
15651 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15654 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15655 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15656 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15657 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15658 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15660 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15661 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15662 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15663 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15664 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15665 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15666 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15669 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15670 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15671 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15673 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15674 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15675 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15676 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15677 threading---according to the current value of
15678 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15679 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15680 simplified in this manner.
15685 @node Score File Format
15686 @section Score File Format
15687 @cindex score file format
15689 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15690 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15691 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15693 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15697 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15699 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15701 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15703 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15708 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15712 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15713 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15714 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15715 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15719 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15720 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15722 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15723 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15724 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15726 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15731 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15732 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15733 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15734 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15735 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15736 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15737 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15738 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15739 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15740 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15741 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15742 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15743 to articles that matches these score entries.
15745 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15746 score entry has one to four elements.
15750 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15751 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15755 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15756 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15757 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15758 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15759 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15760 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15763 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15764 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15765 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15766 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15767 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15770 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15771 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15772 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15773 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15776 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15777 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15778 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15779 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15780 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15781 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15782 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15783 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15784 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15785 instead, if you feel like.
15788 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15789 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15791 These predicates are true if
15794 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15797 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15798 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15805 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15806 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15807 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15808 it's not. I think.)
15810 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15811 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15812 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15813 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15816 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15817 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15818 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15819 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15820 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15821 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15822 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15826 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15827 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15828 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15829 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15830 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15831 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15832 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15833 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15836 @item Head, Body, All
15837 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15841 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15842 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15843 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15844 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15845 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15846 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15847 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15851 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15852 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15853 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15854 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15855 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15856 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15857 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15858 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15859 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15860 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15861 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15865 @cindex Score File Atoms
15867 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15868 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15871 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15872 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15874 @item mark-and-expunge
15875 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15876 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15879 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15880 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15881 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15882 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15883 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15886 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15887 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15890 @item exclude-files
15891 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15892 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15896 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15897 ignored when handling global score files.
15900 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15901 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15902 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15903 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15906 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15907 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15908 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15909 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15911 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15915 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15918 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15919 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15920 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15921 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15922 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15924 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15925 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15926 ordinary scoring rules.
15929 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15930 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15931 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15932 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15933 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15934 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15935 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15936 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15937 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15938 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15939 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15943 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15944 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15945 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15946 file for a number of groups.
15949 @cindex local variables
15950 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15951 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15952 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15953 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15954 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15958 @node Score File Editing
15959 @section Score File Editing
15961 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15962 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15963 with a mode for that.
15965 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15966 additional commands:
15971 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15972 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15973 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15974 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15977 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15978 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15979 Insert the current date in numerical format
15980 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15981 you were wondering.
15984 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15985 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15986 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15987 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15988 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15993 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15995 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15996 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15998 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15999 e} to begin editing score files.
16002 @node Adaptive Scoring
16003 @section Adaptive Scoring
16004 @cindex adaptive scoring
16006 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16007 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16008 stupidity, to be precise.
16010 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16011 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16012 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16013 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16014 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16015 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16016 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16017 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16018 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16020 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16021 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16022 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16023 might look something like this:
16026 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16027 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16028 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16029 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16030 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16031 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16032 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16033 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16034 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16035 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16036 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16037 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16040 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16041 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16042 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16043 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16044 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16045 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16048 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16049 will be applied to each article.
16051 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16052 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16053 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16054 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16056 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16057 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16058 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16059 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16061 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16062 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16063 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16064 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16066 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16067 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16068 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16069 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16070 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16071 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16073 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16074 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16075 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16076 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16077 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16078 aspirins afterwards.)
16080 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16081 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16082 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16084 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16085 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16086 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16088 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16089 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16090 let you use different rules in different groups.
16092 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16093 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16094 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16097 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16098 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16099 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16100 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16101 the length of the match is less than
16102 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16103 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16106 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16107 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16108 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16109 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16110 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16113 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16114 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16115 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16116 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16117 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16120 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16121 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16122 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16123 score with 30 points.
16125 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16126 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16127 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16128 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16129 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16131 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16132 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16133 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16134 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16136 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16137 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16138 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16139 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16141 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16142 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16143 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16144 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16145 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16147 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16148 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16149 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16151 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16152 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16153 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16154 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16157 @node Home Score File
16158 @section Home Score File
16160 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16161 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16162 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16163 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16165 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16166 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16167 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16169 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16170 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16175 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16179 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16180 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16184 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16188 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16189 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
16192 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16193 the home score file.
16196 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16199 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16204 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16207 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16208 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16211 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16212 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16214 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16216 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16217 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16220 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16221 Other functions include
16224 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16225 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16226 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16227 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16231 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16232 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16233 their own home score files:
16236 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16237 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16238 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16239 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16240 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16243 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16244 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16245 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16246 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16247 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16249 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16250 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16251 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16252 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16253 precedence over this variable.
16256 @node Followups To Yourself
16257 @section Followups To Yourself
16259 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16260 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16261 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16262 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16263 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16264 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16268 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16269 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16270 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16273 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16274 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16275 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16279 @vindex message-sent-hook
16280 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16281 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16283 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16287 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16288 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16292 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16293 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16296 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16297 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16302 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16306 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16307 is system-dependent.
16311 @section Scoring Tips
16312 @cindex scoring tips
16318 @cindex scoring crossposts
16319 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16320 the @code{Xref} header.
16322 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16325 @item Multiple crossposts
16326 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16327 more than, say, 3 groups:
16329 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16332 @item Matching on the body
16333 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16334 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16335 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16336 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16337 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16338 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16339 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16342 @item Marking as read
16343 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16344 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16345 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16349 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16351 @item Negated character classes
16352 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16353 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16354 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16358 @node Reverse Scoring
16359 @section Reverse Scoring
16360 @cindex reverse scoring
16362 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16363 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16364 like this in your score file:
16368 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16373 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16374 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16377 @node Global Score Files
16378 @section Global Score Files
16379 @cindex global score files
16381 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16382 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16383 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16385 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16386 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16387 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16389 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16390 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16391 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16392 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16393 files are applicable to which group.
16395 Say you want to use the score file
16396 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16397 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16400 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16401 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16402 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16405 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16406 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16407 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16408 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16409 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16411 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16412 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16414 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16415 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16416 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16417 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16418 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16419 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16421 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16427 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16429 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16431 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16433 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16434 lowered out of existence.
16436 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16437 articles completely.
16440 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16441 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16442 old articles for a long time.
16445 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16446 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16447 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16448 holding our breath yet?
16452 @section Kill Files
16455 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16456 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16457 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16459 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16460 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16461 files into score files.
16463 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16464 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16465 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16466 that isn't a very good idea.
16468 Normal kill files look like this:
16471 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16472 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16476 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16477 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16479 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16480 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16483 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16488 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16489 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16490 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16493 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16494 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16495 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16498 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16503 @kindex M-k (Group)
16504 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16505 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16508 @kindex M-K (Group)
16509 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16510 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16513 Kill file variables:
16516 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16517 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16518 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16519 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16520 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16521 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16522 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16524 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16525 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16526 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16527 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16530 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16531 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16532 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16533 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16534 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16535 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16536 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16537 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16538 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16540 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16541 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16542 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16547 @node Converting Kill Files
16548 @section Converting Kill Files
16550 @cindex converting kill files
16552 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16553 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16554 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16557 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16558 You can fetch it from
16559 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16561 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16562 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16563 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16571 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16572 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16573 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16575 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16576 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16577 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16578 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16579 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16580 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16581 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16582 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16586 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16587 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16588 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16589 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16593 @node Using GroupLens
16594 @subsection Using GroupLens
16596 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16598 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16599 better bit in town at the moment.
16601 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16605 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16606 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16607 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16608 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16610 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16611 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16612 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16613 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16615 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16616 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16617 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16621 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16622 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16623 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16624 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16625 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16626 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16629 @node Rating Articles
16630 @subsection Rating Articles
16632 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16633 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16634 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16635 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16638 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16643 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16644 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16645 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16648 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16649 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16650 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16651 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16652 threads in rec.humor.
16656 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16657 the score of the article you're reading.
16662 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16663 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16664 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16667 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16668 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16669 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16673 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16674 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16677 @node Displaying Predictions
16678 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16680 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16681 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16682 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16683 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16684 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16686 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16687 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16688 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16689 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16690 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16691 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16692 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16693 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16694 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16695 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16696 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16697 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16698 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16700 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16701 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16702 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16703 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16705 The following are valid values for that variable.
16708 @item prediction-spot
16709 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16712 @item confidence-interval
16713 A numeric confidence interval.
16715 @item prediction-bar
16716 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16718 @item confidence-bar
16719 Numerical confidence.
16721 @item confidence-spot
16722 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16724 @item prediction-num
16725 Plain-old numeric value.
16727 @item confidence-plus-minus
16728 Prediction +/- confidence.
16733 @node GroupLens Variables
16734 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16738 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16739 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16740 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16741 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16744 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16745 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16748 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16749 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16751 @item grouplens-score-offset
16752 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16753 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16756 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16757 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16758 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16763 @node Advanced Scoring
16764 @section Advanced Scoring
16766 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16767 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16768 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16769 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16770 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16772 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16776 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16777 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16778 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16782 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16783 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16785 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16786 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16787 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16788 non-@code{nil} value.
16790 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16791 operator, and various match operators.
16798 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16799 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16800 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16805 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16806 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16807 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16812 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16813 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16817 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16818 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16819 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16820 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16821 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16822 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16823 the ancestry you want to go.
16825 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16826 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16827 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16828 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16829 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16832 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16833 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16835 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16836 when he's talking about Gnus:
16840 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16841 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16847 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16851 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16858 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16859 really don't want to read what he's written:
16863 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16864 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16868 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16869 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16870 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16877 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16878 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16879 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16880 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16884 The possibilities are endless.
16887 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16888 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16890 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16891 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16892 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16893 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16894 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16895 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16896 @samp{subject}) first.
16898 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16899 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16910 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16911 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16917 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16924 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16925 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16930 @section Score Decays
16931 @cindex score decays
16934 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16935 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16936 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16937 use them in any sensible way.
16939 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16940 @findex gnus-decay-score
16941 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16942 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16943 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16944 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16945 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16946 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16947 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16948 definition of that function:
16951 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16953 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16954 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16957 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16959 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16961 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16964 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16965 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16966 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16967 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16971 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16974 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16977 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16981 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16982 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16983 the new score, which should be an integer.
16985 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16986 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16993 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16994 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16995 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16996 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16997 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16998 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16999 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17000 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17001 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17002 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17003 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17004 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17005 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17006 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17007 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17008 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17009 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17010 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17014 @node Process/Prefix
17015 @section Process/Prefix
17016 @cindex process/prefix convention
17018 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17019 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17021 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17022 command to be performed on.
17026 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17027 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17028 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17029 with the current one.
17031 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17032 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17033 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17035 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17036 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17039 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17040 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17042 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17045 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17046 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17047 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17048 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17050 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17051 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17052 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17053 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17054 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17055 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17056 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17057 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17059 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17060 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17061 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17062 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17063 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17067 @section Interactive
17068 @cindex interaction
17072 @item gnus-novice-user
17073 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17074 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17075 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17076 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17077 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17080 @item gnus-expert-user
17081 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17082 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17083 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17084 matter how strange.
17086 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17087 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17088 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17089 is @code{t} by default.
17091 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17092 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17093 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17098 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17099 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17100 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17102 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17103 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17104 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17105 rule of 900 to the current article.
17107 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17108 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17109 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17110 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17111 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17112 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17113 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17115 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17116 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17117 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17118 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17119 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17120 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17121 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17122 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17123 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17125 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17126 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17127 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17129 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17133 @node Formatting Variables
17134 @section Formatting Variables
17135 @cindex formatting variables
17137 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17138 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17139 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17140 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17141 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17144 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17145 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17146 lots of percentages everywhere.
17149 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17150 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17151 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17152 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17153 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17156 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17157 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17158 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17159 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17160 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17161 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17162 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17163 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17165 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17166 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17168 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17169 @findex gnus-update-format
17170 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17171 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17172 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17173 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17177 @node Formatting Basics
17178 @subsection Formatting Basics
17180 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17181 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17182 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17184 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17185 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17186 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17187 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17188 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17191 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17192 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17193 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17194 less than 4 characters wide.
17197 @node Mode Line Formatting
17198 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17200 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17201 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17202 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17203 with the following two differences:
17208 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17211 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17212 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17213 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17214 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17215 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17216 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17217 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17222 @node Advanced Formatting
17223 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17225 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17226 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17227 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17228 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17230 These are the valid modifiers:
17235 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17239 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17244 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17247 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17252 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17255 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17258 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17261 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17265 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17266 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17267 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17268 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17269 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17270 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17271 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17273 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17274 last operation, padding.
17276 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17277 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
17278 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
17279 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
17280 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
17281 the look of your lines.
17282 @xref{Compilation}.
17285 @node User-Defined Specs
17286 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17288 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17289 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17290 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17291 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17292 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17293 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17294 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17295 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17296 should protect against that.
17298 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17299 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17300 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17301 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17305 @node Formatting Fonts
17306 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17308 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17309 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17310 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17311 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17314 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17315 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17316 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17317 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17318 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17319 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17321 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17322 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17323 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17324 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17325 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17326 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17327 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17328 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17330 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17333 ;; Create three face types.
17334 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17335 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17337 ;; We want the article count to be in
17338 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17339 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17340 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17342 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17343 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17345 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17346 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17347 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17350 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17351 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17353 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17354 mode-line variables.
17357 @node Windows Configuration
17358 @section Windows Configuration
17359 @cindex windows configuration
17361 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17363 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17364 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17365 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17366 @code{t} by default.
17368 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17369 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17371 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17372 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17373 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17376 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17377 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17378 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17382 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17383 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17384 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17385 possible names is listed below.
17387 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17388 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17391 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17395 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17396 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17397 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17398 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17399 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17400 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17401 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17402 size spec per split.
17404 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17405 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17406 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17407 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17408 present) gets focus.
17410 Here's a more complicated example:
17413 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17414 (summary 0.25 point)
17415 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17419 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17420 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17421 occupy, not a percentage.
17423 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17424 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17425 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17426 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17427 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17430 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17433 (article (horizontal 1.0
17438 (summary 0.25 point)
17443 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17444 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17446 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17447 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17448 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17449 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17450 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17452 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17453 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17454 lines from the splits.
17456 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17460 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17461 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17462 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17463 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17464 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17465 size = number | frame-params
17466 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17469 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17470 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17471 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17472 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17474 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17475 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17476 @cindex window height
17477 @cindex window width
17478 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17479 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17480 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17481 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17482 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17483 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17485 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17486 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17487 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17488 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17490 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17491 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17492 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17493 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17494 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17495 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17496 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17497 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17498 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17499 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17500 configuration list.
17503 (gnus-configure-frame
17507 (article 0.3 point))
17515 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17516 @code{frame} split:
17519 (gnus-configure-frame
17522 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17524 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17525 (user-position . t)
17526 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17531 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17532 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17533 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17534 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17535 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17536 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17537 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17538 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17540 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17541 be found in its default value.
17543 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17544 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17545 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17549 (message (horizontal 1.0
17550 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17552 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17557 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17558 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17559 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17562 (message (frame 1.0
17563 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17564 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17565 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17566 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17567 (name . "Message"))
17568 (message 1.0 point))))
17571 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17572 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17573 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17574 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17575 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17578 (gnus-add-configuration
17579 '(article (vertical 1.0
17581 (summary .25 point)
17585 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17586 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17587 Gnus has been loaded.
17589 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17590 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17591 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17592 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17593 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17595 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17596 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17597 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17600 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17604 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17605 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17620 (gnus-add-configuration
17623 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17625 (summary 0.16 point)
17628 (gnus-add-configuration
17631 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17632 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17638 @node Faces and Fonts
17639 @section Faces and Fonts
17644 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17645 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17646 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17651 @section Compilation
17652 @cindex compilation
17653 @cindex byte-compilation
17655 @findex gnus-compile
17657 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17658 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17659 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
17660 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
17661 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
17662 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17663 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17664 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17667 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17668 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17669 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17670 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
17671 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17674 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
17675 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17676 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
17677 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
17678 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
17683 @section Mode Lines
17686 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17687 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17688 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17689 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17690 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17691 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17692 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17695 @cindex display-time
17697 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17698 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17699 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17700 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17701 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17702 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17703 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17704 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17707 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17709 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17710 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17712 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17713 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17714 (length display-time-string)))))
17717 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17718 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17719 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17720 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17721 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17724 @node Highlighting and Menus
17725 @section Highlighting and Menus
17727 @cindex highlighting
17730 @vindex gnus-visual
17731 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17732 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17733 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17736 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17737 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17740 @item group-highlight
17741 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17742 @item summary-highlight
17743 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17744 @item article-highlight
17745 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17747 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17749 Create menus in the group buffer.
17751 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17753 Create menus in the article buffer.
17755 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17757 Create menus in the server buffer.
17759 Create menus in the score buffers.
17761 Create menus in all buffers.
17764 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17765 buffers, you could say something like:
17768 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17771 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17774 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17777 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17778 in all Gnus buffers.
17780 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17783 @item gnus-mouse-face
17784 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17785 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17786 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17790 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17794 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17795 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17796 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17798 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17799 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17800 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17802 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17803 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17804 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17806 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17807 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17808 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17810 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17811 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17812 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17814 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17815 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17816 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17827 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17828 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17829 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17830 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17831 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17835 @vindex gnus-carpal
17836 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17837 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17838 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17843 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17844 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17845 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17847 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17848 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17849 Face used on buttons.
17851 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17852 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17853 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17855 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17856 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17857 Buttons in the group buffer.
17859 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17860 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17861 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17863 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17864 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17865 Buttons in the server buffer.
17867 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17868 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17869 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17872 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17873 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17874 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17882 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17883 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17884 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17885 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17886 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17888 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17889 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17890 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17892 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17893 been idle for thirty minutes:
17896 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17899 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17903 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17906 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17907 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17908 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17910 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17911 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17912 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17913 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17915 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17916 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17917 @var{idle} minutes.
17919 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17920 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17923 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17924 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17925 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17927 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17928 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17929 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17930 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17932 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17933 your @file{.gnus} file:
17935 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17937 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17940 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17941 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17942 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17943 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17944 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17945 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17946 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17947 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17948 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17949 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17950 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17952 @findex gnus-demon-init
17953 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17954 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17955 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17956 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17957 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17959 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17960 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17961 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17970 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17971 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17973 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17974 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17975 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17976 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17979 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17980 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17981 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17982 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17984 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17985 this will make spam disappear.
17987 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17990 @item gnus-use-nocem
17991 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17992 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17995 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17996 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17997 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17998 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17999 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18001 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18002 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18003 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18004 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18005 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18006 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18008 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18009 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18011 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18012 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18013 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18014 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18015 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18016 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18017 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18018 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18019 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18020 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18022 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18023 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18026 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18029 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18030 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18033 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18036 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18039 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18040 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18042 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18043 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18044 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18045 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18047 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18048 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18051 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18053 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18061 This might be dangerous, though.
18063 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18064 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18065 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18066 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18068 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18069 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18070 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18071 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18072 might then see old spam.
18074 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18075 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18076 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18077 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18078 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18081 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18082 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18083 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18084 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18088 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18089 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18090 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18091 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18098 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18099 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18100 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18102 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18103 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18104 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18105 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18106 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18107 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18108 @code{undo} function.
18110 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18111 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18112 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18113 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18114 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18115 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18116 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18117 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18118 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18119 never be totally undoable.
18121 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18122 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18124 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18125 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18126 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
18127 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18132 @section Moderation
18135 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18136 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18137 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18140 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18144 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18147 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18149 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18154 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18155 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18156 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18159 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18160 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18163 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18164 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18168 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18171 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18172 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18176 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18177 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18180 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18184 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18185 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18186 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18187 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18200 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18201 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18202 over your shoulder as you read news.
18205 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18206 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18207 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18208 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18209 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18214 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18216 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18225 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18226 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18227 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18228 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18229 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18230 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18231 @code{GIF} formats.
18234 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18235 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18236 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18237 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18238 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18240 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18241 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18242 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18243 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18244 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18245 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18248 @node Picon Requirements
18249 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18251 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18252 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18255 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18256 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18257 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18259 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18260 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18261 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18262 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18263 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18267 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18269 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18270 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18273 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18274 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18277 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18278 containing the Picons databases.
18280 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18283 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18284 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18289 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18297 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18298 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18299 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18300 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18301 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18306 @item gnus-picons-database
18307 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18308 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18309 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18310 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18311 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18312 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18314 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18315 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18316 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18317 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18318 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18319 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18320 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18322 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18323 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18324 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18325 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18326 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18327 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18328 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18329 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18331 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18332 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18333 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18338 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18339 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18341 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18342 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18345 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18347 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18348 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18349 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18350 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18352 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18353 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18354 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18360 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18361 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18369 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18370 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18371 don't need to worry about.
18375 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18376 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18377 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18378 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18380 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18381 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18382 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18383 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18385 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18386 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18387 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18388 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18389 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18391 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18392 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18393 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18394 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18395 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18396 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18397 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18399 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18400 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18401 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18402 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18404 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18405 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18406 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18407 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18408 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18409 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18410 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18412 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18413 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18414 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18415 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18417 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18418 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18419 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18420 Defaults to @code{t}.
18422 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18423 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18424 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18425 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18427 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18428 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18429 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18431 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18432 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18433 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18434 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18436 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18437 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
18439 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18440 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18441 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18442 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18443 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18444 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18445 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18446 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18457 @subsection Smileys
18462 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18467 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18468 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18470 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18471 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18474 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18477 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18478 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18479 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18480 text and maps that to file names.
18482 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18483 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18484 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18485 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18486 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18487 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18489 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18490 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18492 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18493 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18494 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18496 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18497 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18501 @item smiley-data-directory
18502 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18503 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18505 @item smiley-flesh-color
18506 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18507 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18509 @item smiley-features-color
18510 @vindex smiley-features-color
18511 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18513 @item smiley-tongue-color
18514 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18515 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18517 @item smiley-circle-color
18518 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18519 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18521 @item smiley-mouse-face
18522 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18523 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18529 @subsection Toolbar
18539 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18540 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18541 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18542 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18543 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18545 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18546 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18547 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18549 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18550 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18551 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18553 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18554 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18555 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18561 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18564 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18565 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18566 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18567 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18568 unusual directory structure.
18570 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18571 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18572 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18573 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18575 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18576 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18577 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18578 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18579 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18580 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18582 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18583 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18584 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18598 @node Fuzzy Matching
18599 @section Fuzzy Matching
18600 @cindex fuzzy matching
18602 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18603 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18605 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18606 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18607 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18609 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18610 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18611 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18612 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18613 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18616 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18617 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18621 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18623 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18624 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18625 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18626 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18627 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18628 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18629 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18630 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18633 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18634 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18635 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18636 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18637 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18638 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18642 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18643 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18645 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18646 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18647 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18648 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18649 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18650 part of the mail address.)
18653 (setq message-default-news-headers
18654 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18657 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18658 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18663 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18664 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18665 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18671 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18672 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18673 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18674 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18676 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18677 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18678 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18679 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18680 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18681 your fancy split rule in this way:
18686 (to "larsi" "misc")
18690 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18691 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18692 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18693 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18694 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18696 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18697 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18698 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
18699 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18700 cosmic balance somewhat.
18702 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18703 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18704 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18705 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18708 @node Various Various
18709 @section Various Various
18715 @item gnus-home-directory
18716 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18717 defaults to @file{~/}.
18719 @item gnus-directory
18720 @vindex gnus-directory
18721 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18722 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18723 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18725 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18726 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18727 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18728 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18730 @item gnus-default-directory
18731 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18732 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18733 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18734 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18735 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18736 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18737 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18740 @vindex gnus-verbose
18741 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18742 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18743 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18744 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18745 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18747 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18748 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18749 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18750 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18752 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18753 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18754 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18755 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18756 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18757 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18758 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18759 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18760 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18761 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18763 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18764 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18765 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18766 read when doing the operation described above.
18768 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18769 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18771 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18772 @cindex characters in file names
18773 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18774 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18775 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18778 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18782 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18783 Windows (phooey) systems.
18785 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18786 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18787 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18788 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18789 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18791 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18792 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18793 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18794 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18795 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18797 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18798 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18799 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18801 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18802 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18804 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18805 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18806 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18807 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18810 IMAP users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18819 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18820 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18822 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18824 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18830 Not because of victories @*
18833 but for the common sunshine,@*
18835 the largess of the spring.
18839 but for the day's work done@*
18840 as well as I was able;@*
18841 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18842 but at the common table.@*
18847 @chapter Appendices
18850 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18851 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18852 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18853 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18854 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18855 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18856 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18857 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18865 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18866 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18868 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18869 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18870 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
18871 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18872 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18874 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18875 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18876 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18877 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18878 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18879 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18881 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18882 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18883 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18884 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18887 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18888 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18889 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18890 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18891 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18892 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18893 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18894 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18895 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18896 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18900 @node Gnus Versions
18901 @subsection Gnus Versions
18902 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18904 @cindex September Gnus
18905 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18907 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18908 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18909 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18911 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18912 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18914 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18915 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18917 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18918 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18920 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18921 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18924 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
18926 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18927 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
18928 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
18929 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
18930 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
18931 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
18934 @node Other Gnus Versions
18935 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18938 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18939 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18940 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18941 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18943 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18944 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18945 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18946 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18953 What's the point of Gnus?
18955 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18956 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18957 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18958 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18959 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18960 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18961 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18962 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18963 keep track of millions of people who post?
18965 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18966 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18967 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18968 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18969 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18970 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18971 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18972 every one of you to explore and invent.
18974 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18975 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18978 @node Compatibility
18979 @subsection Compatibility
18981 @cindex compatibility
18982 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18983 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18984 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18989 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18993 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18996 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18999 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19000 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19001 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19002 important variables have their values copied into their global
19003 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19004 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19006 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19007 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19008 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19009 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19010 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19014 @cindex highlighting
19015 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19016 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19017 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19018 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19019 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19020 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19023 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19024 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19025 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19026 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19028 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19029 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19030 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19031 to stop doing it the old way.
19033 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19035 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19037 @cindex reporting bugs
19039 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19040 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19041 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19043 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19044 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19045 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19046 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19051 @subsection Conformity
19053 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19054 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19061 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19065 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19067 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19068 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19069 We do have some breaches to this one.
19075 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19076 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19077 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19078 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19079 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19084 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19085 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19086 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19087 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19091 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19092 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19097 @subsection Emacsen
19103 Gnus should work on :
19111 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
19115 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19116 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19117 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
19118 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
19119 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
19121 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19122 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19123 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19127 @node Gnus Development
19128 @subsection Gnus Development
19130 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19131 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19132 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19133 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19134 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19135 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19136 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19137 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19139 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19140 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19141 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19142 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19143 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19146 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19147 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19148 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19149 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19150 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19152 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19153 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19154 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19155 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19156 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19157 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19158 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19159 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19160 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19161 can't be assumed to do so.
19166 @subsection Contributors
19167 @cindex contributors
19169 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19170 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19171 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19172 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19173 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19174 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19175 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19176 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19177 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19178 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19180 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19186 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19189 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19190 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19191 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19192 functionality and stuff.
19195 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19196 well as numerous other things).
19199 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19202 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19205 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19208 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19209 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19212 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19215 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19216 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19219 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19222 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19225 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19228 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19231 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19232 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19235 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19238 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19241 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19244 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19248 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19251 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19254 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19257 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19258 well as autoconf support.
19262 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19263 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19265 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19274 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19278 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19288 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19303 Massimo Campostrini,
19308 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19309 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19313 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19316 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19322 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19327 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19331 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19339 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19341 Michelangelo Grigni,
19345 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19347 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19349 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19356 François Felix Ingrand,
19357 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19358 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19360 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19371 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19372 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19374 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19375 Thor Kristoffersen,
19378 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19396 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19397 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19404 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19409 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19413 John McClary Prevost,
19419 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19424 Christian von Roques,
19427 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19434 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19436 Randal L. Schwartz,
19450 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19455 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19471 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19476 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19477 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19478 (550kB and counting).
19480 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19483 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19484 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19488 @subsection New Features
19489 @cindex new features
19492 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19493 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19494 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19495 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19498 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19499 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19500 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19504 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19506 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19511 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19512 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19515 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19516 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19519 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19522 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19523 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19524 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19527 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19528 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19529 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19530 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19533 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19534 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19537 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19538 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19539 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19542 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19543 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19546 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19547 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19548 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19551 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19552 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19553 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19556 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19557 the @file{.emacs} file.
19560 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19561 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19564 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19565 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19568 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19569 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19572 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19573 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19576 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19577 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19580 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19583 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19584 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19587 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19588 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19591 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19592 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19595 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19598 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19599 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19602 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19606 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19610 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19611 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19614 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19620 @node September Gnus
19621 @subsubsection September Gnus
19625 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19629 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19634 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19635 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19639 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19640 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19644 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19648 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19649 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19652 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19656 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19659 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19662 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19665 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19669 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19670 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19673 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19677 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19681 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19685 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19689 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19692 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19693 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19696 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19700 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19701 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19704 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19707 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19708 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19709 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19712 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19716 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19719 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19723 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19724 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19727 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19728 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19731 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19732 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19735 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19736 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19737 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19740 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19741 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19744 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19747 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19750 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19753 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19756 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19757 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19760 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19764 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19767 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19772 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19775 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19779 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19782 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19786 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19789 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19792 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19793 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19796 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19797 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19801 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19802 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19805 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19809 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19810 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19813 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19816 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19820 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19824 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19825 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19828 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19832 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19833 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19836 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19837 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19840 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19844 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19847 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19850 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19856 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19858 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19862 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19869 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19872 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19873 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19876 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19877 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19881 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19882 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19885 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19888 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19889 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19892 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19896 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19897 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19901 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19902 Server Internals}).
19905 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19909 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19912 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19913 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19916 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19917 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19918 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19921 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19922 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19925 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19926 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19929 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19933 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19934 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19937 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19938 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19941 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19945 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19948 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19952 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19953 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19956 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19957 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19960 A new command for reading collections of documents
19961 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19962 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19965 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19969 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19970 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19973 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19974 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19975 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19978 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19979 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19983 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19987 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19991 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19996 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20000 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20004 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20005 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20008 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20014 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20016 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20021 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20022 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20023 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20026 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20027 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20028 group, which is created automatically.
20031 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20035 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20038 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20039 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20042 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20046 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20049 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20050 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20053 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20056 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20057 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20060 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20061 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20064 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20065 control over simplification.
20068 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20071 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20075 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20078 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20081 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20082 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20083 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20086 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20087 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20090 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20094 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20095 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20098 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20099 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20102 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20106 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20109 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20112 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20113 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20116 A new function for citing in Message has been
20117 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20120 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20123 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20127 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20128 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20131 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20132 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20135 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20138 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20143 @node Newest Features
20144 @subsection Newest Features
20147 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
20150 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
20152 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
20153 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
20156 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
20161 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
20162 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
20165 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
20168 @uref{http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/}
20171 facep is not declared.
20174 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
20175 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
20178 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
20183 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
20184 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
20185 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
20186 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
20187 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
20188 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
20189 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
20194 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
20197 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
20200 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
20202 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
20203 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
20205 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
20207 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
20209 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
20210 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
20212 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
20214 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
20215 be marked as unread.
20217 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
20219 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
20221 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
20222 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
20224 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
20226 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
20228 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
20229 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
20231 topics that contain just groups with ticked
20232 articles aren't displayed.
20234 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
20236 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
20237 make the mail groups killed.
20239 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
20241 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
20242 and articles have to be removed.
20244 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
20247 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
20249 finding short score file names takes forever.
20251 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20253 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
20255 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
20257 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
20259 nnweb doesn't work properly.
20261 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
20263 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
20264 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
20268 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
20270 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
20271 bar and the Gnus bar.
20274 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
20275 `(canonize-message-id id)'
20276 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
20277 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
20278 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
20279 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
20284 nnml .overview directory with splits.
20288 postponed commands.
20290 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
20292 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
20295 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
20296 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
20298 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
20299 inherit copy prompts and save files.
20301 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
20303 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
20304 for backends that support that.
20306 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
20308 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
20309 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
20311 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
20312 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
20314 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
20316 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
20318 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
20320 server mode command: close/open all connections
20322 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
20323 has been changed before using it.
20325 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
20327 hide (sub)threads with low score.
20329 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
20331 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
20333 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
20334 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
20336 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
20337 contain groups that match a regexp.
20339 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
20342 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
20345 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
20346 from subject lines.
20348 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
20350 nntp-ping-before-connect
20352 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
20354 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
20355 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
20357 message annotations.
20359 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
20361 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
20362 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
20364 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
20369 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
20371 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
20373 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
20375 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
20376 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
20378 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
20380 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
20382 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
20383 finds and generate proper active ranges.
20385 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
20386 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
20388 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
20390 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
20392 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
20393 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
20395 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
20397 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
20399 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
20400 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
20403 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
20405 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
20407 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
20408 `C-c C-c' when posting.
20410 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
20413 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
20414 should be marker as expirable.
20416 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
20418 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
20419 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
20421 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
20422 Also consult Date headers.
20424 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
20426 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
20428 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
20429 Message-ID, delete the "original".
20431 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
20432 into a See-Also header.
20434 support setext: @uref{http://www.bsdi.com/setext/}
20436 support ProleText: @uref{http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html}
20438 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
20439 should be listed as such and not as "K".
20441 generate font names dynamically.
20443 score file mode auto-alist.
20445 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
20446 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
20448 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
20449 absolutely all headers there is.
20451 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
20452 and pipe them to the process.
20454 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
20455 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
20456 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
20458 function for starting to edit a file to put into
20459 the current mail group.
20461 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
20463 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
20464 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
20466 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
20467 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
20469 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
20471 when replying to several process-marked articles,
20472 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
20474 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
20475 groups it has been mailed to.
20477 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
20479 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
20481 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20483 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20484 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20486 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20487 newlines) should be ignored.
20489 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20490 groups in subtopics as well.
20492 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20494 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20497 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20499 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20501 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20503 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20505 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20507 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20509 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20510 or the formatted article.
20512 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20514 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20515 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20517 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20519 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20521 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20523 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20524 even unread articles.
20526 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20528 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20530 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20532 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20534 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20536 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20539 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20540 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20542 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20543 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20545 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20547 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20549 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20550 from a particular server? Hm.
20552 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20553 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20555 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20557 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20558 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20560 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20561 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20563 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20564 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20565 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20568 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20569 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20571 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20573 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20575 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20577 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20580 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20583 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20584 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20586 command to show and edit group scores
20588 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20591 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20593 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20595 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20596 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20599 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20600 that are of that length.
20602 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20604 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20606 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20608 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20610 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20612 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20614 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20615 a score lower than this number.
20617 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20619 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20621 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20622 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20624 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20626 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20627 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20629 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20632 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20633 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20634 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20635 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20637 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20640 command to remove all topic stuff.
20642 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20643 and splitting the resulting digests.
20645 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20647 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20649 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20650 matches an alist -- before saving.
20652 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20654 variable to activate each group before entering them
20655 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20657 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20658 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20660 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20661 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20663 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20665 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20666 of several groups at once.
20668 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20669 matches some regexp(s).
20671 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20673 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20675 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20677 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20679 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20681 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20683 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20685 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20686 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20687 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20688 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20690 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20691 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20693 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20695 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20696 recently cited text.
20698 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20700 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20703 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20704 server and just read the articles in the server
20706 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20707 value of nnoo variables.
20709 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20711 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20712 listed in each group info.
20714 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20717 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20718 should only be applied to some groups.
20720 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20721 mail-copies-to: never.
20723 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20724 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20726 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20728 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20731 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20734 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20736 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20739 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20743 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20745 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20746 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20747 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20748 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20749 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20751 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20752 @uref{ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html}
20759 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20760 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20762 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20763 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20765 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20766 "Return the date the group was last read."
20767 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20772 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20773 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20774 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20775 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20779 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20780 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20782 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20785 They could be used like this:
20789 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20790 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20791 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20793 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20795 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20798 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20801 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20802 affect the summary line format.
20806 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20808 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20809 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20811 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20814 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20816 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20818 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20820 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20822 - For other files, just find them normally.
20824 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20825 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20828 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20829 tell him what you are doing.
20832 Currently, I get prompted:
20836 decend into sci.something ?
20840 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20841 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20842 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20843 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20846 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20847 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20848 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20849 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20852 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20853 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20859 more than n blank lines
20861 more than m identical lines
20862 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20864 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20868 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20869 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20870 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20871 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20874 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20875 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20876 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20877 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20880 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20883 soup - bowl of soup
20884 score below - dim light bulb
20885 score over - bright light bulb
20888 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20893 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20894 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20895 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20896 if (articles-selected)
20897 start-reading-selected-articles;
20898 junk-unread-articles;
20903 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20904 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20905 select-thread-under-cursor;
20907 select-article-under-cursor;
20911 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20912 if (more-pages-in-article)
20914 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20921 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20922 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20923 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20926 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20927 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20928 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20929 the wildcard expression).
20932 It would be nice if it also handled
20934 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20936 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20941 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20942 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20943 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20944 article versions) variable.
20946 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20948 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20949 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20953 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20956 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20957 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20958 (message-sent-hook).
20960 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20963 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20967 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20968 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20971 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20972 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20973 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20976 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20977 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20981 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20984 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20988 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20989 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20992 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20993 value of the signature file.
20996 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20997 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
21000 (setq message-tab-alist
21001 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
21002 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
21004 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
21008 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
21011 a command to import a buffer into a group.
21014 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
21017 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
21018 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
21021 a command to process mark all unread articles.
21024 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
21025 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
21026 do more gathering by subject.
21029 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
21030 article numerical order.
21033 (gnus-thread-total-score
21034 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
21038 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
21041 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
21042 in the summary buffer.
21045 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
21046 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
21049 @uref{http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html}?
21050 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
21051 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
21052 and/or newsgroup name.
21055 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
21058 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
21061 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
21064 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
21065 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
21066 will automatically get the process mark.
21069 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
21070 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
21071 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
21074 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
21078 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
21079 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
21082 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
21083 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
21087 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
21088 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
21091 be able to post via DejaNews.
21094 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
21097 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
21098 allow them to be displayed separately.
21101 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
21102 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
21105 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
21106 articles that match a certain From header.
21109 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
21110 saving living summary buffers.
21113 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
21114 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
21117 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
21118 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
21121 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
21122 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
21125 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
21126 (goto-char (point-min))
21127 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
21128 (replace-match "`" t t))
21129 (goto-char (point-min))
21130 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
21131 (replace-match "'" t t))
21132 (goto-char (point-min))
21133 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
21134 (replace-match "\"" t t))
21135 (goto-char (point-min))
21136 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
21137 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
21142 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
21144 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
21145 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
21146 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
21147 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
21151 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
21154 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
21155 numbers and match on the age of the article.
21159 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
21160 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
21161 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
21163 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
21164 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
21166 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
21167 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
21172 all commands that react to the process mark should push
21173 the current process mark set onto the stack.
21176 gnus-article-hide-pgp
21177 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
21179 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
21181 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
21182 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
21185 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
21186 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
21189 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
21193 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
21194 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
21197 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
21200 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
21203 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
21206 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
21210 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
21216 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
21219 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
21223 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
21224 X characters in the body.
21227 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
21230 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
21233 format spec to "tab" to a position.
21236 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
21239 command to display all dormant articles.
21242 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
21245 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
21246 to something someone else has said.
21249 Read Netscape discussion groups:
21250 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
21253 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
21254 the displayed version.
21257 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
21261 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
21264 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
21265 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
21266 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
21270 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
21271 in the head or body.
21274 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
21277 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
21280 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
21281 in a special, unique buffer.
21284 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
21287 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
21288 is less than a certain number of days old.
21291 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
21294 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
21297 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
21298 file, for instance.
21301 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
21302 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
21303 dummy root instead of the first article.
21306 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
21307 topics for displaying.
21310 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
21311 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
21314 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
21317 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
21318 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
21319 summary buffer for each article.
21322 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
21325 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
21329 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
21332 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
21336 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
21339 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
21342 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
21343 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
21346 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
21347 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
21350 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
21351 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
21354 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
21355 timeout for all commands.
21358 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
21359 It should go somewhere else.
21362 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
21363 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
21364 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
21366 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
21367 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
21369 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
21370 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
21377 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
21378 --text follows this line--
21379 Sorry I killfiled you...
21381 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21383 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21388 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
21392 - Edit article's summary line.
21394 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
21396 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
21402 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
21406 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
21407 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
21411 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
21414 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
21417 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
21418 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
21419 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
21420 turn into a [-] button.)
21423 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
21424 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
21425 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
21426 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
21429 Handle external-body parts.
21432 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
21436 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
21439 (body "whatever.text")
21443 Be able to run `J u' from summary buffers.
21446 Solve the halting problem.
21455 @section The Manual
21459 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21460 either @code{texi2dvi}
21462 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21463 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21465 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21467 The following conventions have been used:
21472 This is a @samp{string}
21475 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21478 This is a @file{file}
21481 This is a @code{symbol}
21485 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21489 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21492 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21495 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21498 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21499 ever get them confused.
21503 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21504 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21505 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21506 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21507 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21508 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21509 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21515 @node On Writing Manuals
21516 @section On Writing Manuals
21518 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21519 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21520 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21521 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21522 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21523 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21526 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21527 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21528 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21531 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21532 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21537 @section Terminology
21539 @cindex terminology
21544 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21545 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21546 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21547 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21548 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21552 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21553 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21554 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21555 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21559 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21563 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21568 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21569 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21570 is all done by the backends.
21574 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21575 default, way of getting news.
21579 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21580 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21585 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21586 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21590 A message that has been posted as news.
21593 @cindex mail message
21594 A message that has been mailed.
21598 A mail message or news article
21602 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21607 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21612 A line from the head of an article.
21616 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21617 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21621 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21622 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21623 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21624 normal @sc{head} format.
21628 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21629 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21630 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21631 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21632 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21633 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21635 @item killed groups
21636 @cindex killed groups
21637 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21638 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21640 @item zombie groups
21641 @cindex zombie groups
21642 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21645 @cindex active file
21646 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21647 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21648 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21651 @cindex bogus groups
21652 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21653 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21654 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21657 @cindex activating groups
21658 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21659 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21660 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21664 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21666 @item select method
21667 @cindex select method
21668 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21671 @item virtual server
21672 @cindex virtual server
21673 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21674 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21675 whole is a virtual server.
21679 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21680 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21683 @item ephemeral groups
21684 @cindex ephemeral groups
21685 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21686 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21687 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21690 @cindex solid groups
21691 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21692 group buffer are solid groups.
21694 @item sparse articles
21695 @cindex sparse articles
21696 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21697 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21701 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21702 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21706 @cindex thread root
21707 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21708 articles in the thread.
21712 An article that has responses.
21716 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21720 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21721 specified by RFC 1153.
21727 @node Customization
21728 @section Customization
21729 @cindex general customization
21731 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21732 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21733 for some quite common situations.
21736 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21737 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21738 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21739 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21743 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21744 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21746 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21747 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21748 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21752 @item gnus-read-active-file
21753 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21754 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21755 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21756 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21757 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21759 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21760 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21761 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21762 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21766 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21767 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21769 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21770 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21771 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21775 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21776 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21777 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21778 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21779 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21781 @item gnus-visible-headers
21782 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21783 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21784 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21785 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21787 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21789 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21790 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21791 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21794 @item gnus-use-full-window
21795 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21796 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21797 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21798 want to read them anyway.
21800 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21801 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21804 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21805 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21806 lines, which might save some time.
21810 @node Little Disk Space
21811 @subsection Little Disk Space
21814 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21815 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21819 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21820 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21821 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21822 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21825 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21826 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21827 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21828 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21831 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21832 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21833 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21834 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21835 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21841 @subsection Slow Machine
21842 @cindex slow machine
21844 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21845 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21847 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21848 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21850 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21851 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21852 summary buffer faster.
21856 @node Troubleshooting
21857 @section Troubleshooting
21858 @cindex troubleshooting
21860 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21868 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21871 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21872 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21876 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21877 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21878 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21879 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21880 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21883 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21887 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21888 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21889 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21890 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21891 something like that.
21894 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21897 @cindex reporting bugs
21899 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21901 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21902 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21903 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21904 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21906 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21907 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21908 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21909 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21912 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21913 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21914 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21915 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21916 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21917 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21919 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21920 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21921 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21924 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21925 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21927 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21928 @cindex ding mailing list
21929 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21930 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21934 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21935 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21937 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21938 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21939 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21940 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21943 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21944 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21945 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21946 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21947 and general methods of operation.
21950 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21951 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21952 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21953 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21954 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21955 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21956 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21957 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21958 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21962 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21963 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21964 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21965 @cindex utility functions
21967 @cindex internal variables
21969 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21970 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21971 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21975 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21976 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21977 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21979 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21980 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21981 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21983 @item gnus-group-real-name
21984 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21985 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21988 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21989 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21990 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21991 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21993 @item gnus-get-info
21994 @findex gnus-get-info
21995 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21997 @item gnus-group-unread
21998 @findex gnus-group-unread
21999 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22003 @findex gnus-active
22004 The active entry for @var{group}.
22006 @item gnus-set-active
22007 @findex gnus-set-active
22008 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22010 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22011 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22012 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22015 @item gnus-continuum-version
22016 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22017 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22018 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22021 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22022 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22023 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22025 @item gnus-news-group-p
22026 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22027 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
22029 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22030 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22031 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22033 @item gnus-server-to-method
22034 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22035 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22037 @item gnus-server-equal
22038 @findex gnus-server-equal
22039 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22041 @item gnus-group-native-p
22042 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22043 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22045 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22046 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22047 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22049 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22050 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22051 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22053 @item group-group-find-parameter
22054 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22055 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22056 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22058 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22059 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22060 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22062 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22063 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22064 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22066 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22067 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22068 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
22069 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22072 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22076 @item gnus-read-method
22077 @findex gnus-read-method
22078 Prompts the user for a select method.
22083 @node Backend Interface
22084 @subsection Backend Interface
22086 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22087 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22088 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
22089 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22090 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22091 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22093 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
22094 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22095 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
22096 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22097 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22098 been opened, the function should fail.
22100 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22101 name. Take this example:
22105 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22106 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22109 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22110 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22112 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22113 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22114 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22116 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22117 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22118 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22120 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22121 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22122 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22123 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22124 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22125 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22128 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
22129 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
22130 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22131 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22134 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
22137 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22140 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22141 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22142 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22143 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
22144 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22145 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
22149 @node Required Backend Functions
22150 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
22154 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22156 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22157 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
22158 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
22159 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22161 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22162 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22163 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22164 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22166 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22167 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22168 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22169 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22170 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
22171 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22172 number, do maximum fetches.
22174 Here's an example HEAD:
22177 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22178 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22179 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22180 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22181 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22182 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22183 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22185 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22186 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22187 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22191 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22192 these in the data buffer.
22194 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22198 head = error / valid-head
22199 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22200 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22201 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22202 header = <text> eol
22205 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22206 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22210 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22211 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22212 field = <text except TAB>
22215 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22219 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22221 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22222 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22224 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
22225 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22226 server. In fact, it should do so.
22228 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22229 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22232 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22234 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22235 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22238 There should be no data returned.
22241 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22243 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
22244 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
22245 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22246 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22248 There should be no data returned.
22251 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22253 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22254 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22255 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22256 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22258 There should be no data returned.
22261 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22263 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22265 There should be no data returned.
22268 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22270 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22271 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22272 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22273 it would be nice if that were possible.
22275 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22276 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22277 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22278 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22279 into its article buffer.
22281 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22282 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22283 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22284 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22285 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22286 on successful article retrieval.
22289 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22291 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22292 making @var{group} the current group.
22294 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22297 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22300 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22303 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22304 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22305 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22306 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22307 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22308 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22309 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22310 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22313 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22314 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22315 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22319 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22321 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22322 a no-op on most backends.
22324 There should be no data returned.
22327 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22329 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22332 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22335 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22336 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22339 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22340 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22343 active-file = *active-line
22344 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22346 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22349 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22350 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22351 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22354 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22356 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22357 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22358 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22359 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22360 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22361 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22363 There should be no result data from this function.
22368 @node Optional Backend Functions
22369 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
22373 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22375 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22376 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22377 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22379 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22380 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22381 former is in the same format as the data from
22382 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22383 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22386 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22390 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22392 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
22393 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
22394 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22395 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22396 should return the (altered) group info.
22398 There should be no result data from this function.
22401 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22403 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22404 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22405 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22406 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22407 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22408 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22409 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22410 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22412 There should be no result data from this function.
22415 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22417 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22418 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22419 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22420 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22421 propagate the mark information to the server.
22423 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22426 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22429 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
22430 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
22431 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
22432 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
22433 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
22434 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
22435 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
22436 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
22437 not limit itself to these.
22439 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22440 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22441 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22442 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22444 An example action list:
22447 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22448 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22449 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22452 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22453 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22455 There should be no result data from this function.
22457 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22459 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
22460 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22461 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22462 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
22463 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22465 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22466 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22467 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22470 There should be no result data from this function.
22473 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22475 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22476 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22477 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22478 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22479 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22480 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22481 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22483 There should be no result data from this function.
22486 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22488 The result data from this function should be a description of
22492 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22494 description = <text>
22497 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22499 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22500 groups available on the server.
22503 description-buffer = *description-line
22507 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22509 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22510 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22511 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22514 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22516 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22518 There should be no return data.
22521 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22523 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22524 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22525 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22526 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22527 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22530 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22533 There should be no result data returned.
22536 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22539 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22540 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22542 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22543 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22544 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22545 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22546 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22547 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22549 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22550 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22553 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22554 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22556 There should be no data returned.
22559 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22561 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22562 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22563 this function in short order.
22565 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22566 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22568 There should be no data returned.
22571 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22573 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22574 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22576 There should be no data returned.
22579 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22581 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22582 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22583 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22585 There should be no data returned.
22588 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22590 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22591 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22593 There should be no data returned.
22598 @node Error Messaging
22599 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22601 @findex nnheader-report
22602 @findex nnheader-get-report
22603 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22604 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22605 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22606 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22607 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22608 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22611 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22613 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22616 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22617 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22618 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22619 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22621 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22622 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22623 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22626 @node Writing New Backends
22627 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22629 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22630 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22631 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22632 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22633 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22636 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22637 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22638 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22640 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22641 package called @code{nnoo}.
22643 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22644 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22650 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22651 parameters. For instance:
22654 (nnoo-declare nndir
22658 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22659 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22662 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22663 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22664 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22666 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22667 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22668 a function in those backends.
22671 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22672 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22673 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22676 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22677 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22678 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22680 @item nnoo-define-basics
22681 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22685 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22689 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22690 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22691 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22693 @item nnoo-map-functions
22694 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22695 functions from the parent backends.
22698 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22699 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22700 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22703 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22704 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22705 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22706 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22709 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22710 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22711 haven't already been defined.
22717 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22721 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22722 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22723 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22728 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22731 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22732 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22736 (require 'nnheader)
22740 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22742 (nnoo-declare nndir
22745 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22746 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22747 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22749 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22750 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22753 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22754 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22755 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22757 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22758 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22760 ;;; Interface functions.
22762 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22764 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22765 (setq nndir-directory
22766 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22768 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22769 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22770 (push `(nndir-current-group
22771 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22773 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22774 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22776 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22778 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22779 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22780 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22781 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22782 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22786 nnmh-status-message
22788 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22794 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22795 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22797 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22798 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22799 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22800 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22802 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22803 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22808 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22811 The abilities can be:
22815 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22817 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22819 This backend supports both mail and news.
22821 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22824 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22825 articles and groups.
22827 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22828 true for almost all backends.
22829 @item prompt-address
22830 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22831 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22832 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22836 @node Mail-like Backends
22837 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22839 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22840 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22841 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22842 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22845 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22846 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22847 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22850 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22851 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22854 This function takes four parameters.
22858 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22861 @item exit-function
22862 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22864 @item temp-directory
22865 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22868 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22869 performed for one group only.
22872 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22873 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22874 find the article number assigned to this article.
22876 The function also uses the following variables:
22877 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22878 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22879 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22880 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22884 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22885 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22889 @node Score File Syntax
22890 @subsection Score File Syntax
22892 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22893 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22894 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22896 Here's a typical score file:
22900 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22907 BNF definition of a score file:
22910 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22911 element = rule / atom
22912 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22913 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22914 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22915 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22917 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22918 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22919 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22920 date-header = "date"
22921 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22922 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22923 score = "nil" / <integer>
22924 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22925 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22926 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22927 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22928 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22929 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22930 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22931 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22932 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22933 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22934 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22935 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22936 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22937 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22938 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22939 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22940 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22941 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22942 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22943 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22944 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22945 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22946 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22947 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22948 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22949 eval = "eval" space <form>
22950 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22953 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22956 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22957 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22958 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22959 one looong line, then that's ok.
22961 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22962 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22966 @subsection Headers
22968 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22969 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22970 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22971 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22973 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22974 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22975 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22976 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22977 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22978 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22979 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22981 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22982 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22983 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22984 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22985 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22987 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22988 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22994 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22995 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22997 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22998 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22999 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23000 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23002 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23006 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23009 is transformed into
23012 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23015 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23016 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23019 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23022 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23023 is slightly tricky:
23026 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23032 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23035 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23041 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23048 and is equal to the previous range.
23050 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23051 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23052 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23056 range = simple-range / normal-range
23057 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23058 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23059 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23060 number *[ " " contents ]
23063 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23064 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23065 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23066 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23067 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23072 @subsection Group Info
23074 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23075 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23076 describes the group.
23078 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23079 second is a more complex one:
23082 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23084 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23085 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23087 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23090 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23091 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23092 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23093 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23094 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23095 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23096 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23097 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23098 this section is about.
23100 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23101 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23102 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23104 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23107 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23108 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23109 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23110 group = quote <string> quote
23111 ralevel = rank / level
23112 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23113 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23114 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23116 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23117 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23118 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23119 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23122 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23123 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23126 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23127 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23130 @item gnus-info-group
23131 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23132 @findex gnus-info-group
23133 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23134 Get/set the group name.
23136 @item gnus-info-rank
23137 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23138 @findex gnus-info-rank
23139 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23140 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23142 @item gnus-info-level
23143 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23144 @findex gnus-info-level
23145 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23146 Get/set the group level.
23148 @item gnus-info-score
23149 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23150 @findex gnus-info-score
23151 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23152 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23154 @item gnus-info-read
23155 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23156 @findex gnus-info-read
23157 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23158 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23160 @item gnus-info-marks
23161 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23162 @findex gnus-info-marks
23163 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23164 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23166 @item gnus-info-method
23167 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23168 @findex gnus-info-method
23169 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23170 Get/set the group select method.
23172 @item gnus-info-params
23173 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23174 @findex gnus-info-params
23175 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23176 Get/set the group parameters.
23179 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23180 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23182 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23183 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23184 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23185 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23188 @node Extended Interactive
23189 @subsection Extended Interactive
23190 @cindex interactive
23191 @findex gnus-interactive
23193 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23194 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23195 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23198 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23199 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23204 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23205 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23206 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23207 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23208 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23209 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23210 @code{interactive}.
23212 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23217 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23218 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23222 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23223 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23224 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23227 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23231 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23235 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23241 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23242 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23246 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23247 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23248 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23250 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23251 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23252 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23253 Gnus, that's very useful.
23255 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23256 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23257 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23258 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23259 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23260 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23261 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23262 following function:
23265 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23269 (,function ,@@args))
23273 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23274 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23275 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23278 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23279 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23280 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23282 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23283 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23284 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23287 @node Various File Formats
23288 @subsection Various File Formats
23291 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23292 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23296 @node Active File Format
23297 @subsubsection Active File Format
23299 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23300 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23303 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23306 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23307 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23308 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23309 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23310 no.general 1000 900 y
23313 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23316 active = *group-line
23317 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
23318 group = <non-white-space string>
23320 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23321 low-number = <positive integer>
23322 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23325 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23326 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23329 @node Newsgroups File Format
23330 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23332 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23333 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23334 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23337 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23338 Here's the definition:
23342 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23343 group = <non-white-space string>
23345 description = <string>
23350 @node Emacs for Heathens
23351 @section Emacs for Heathens
23353 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23354 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23355 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23356 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23357 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23358 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23359 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23363 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23364 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23369 @subsection Keystrokes
23373 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23376 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23379 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23380 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23381 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23382 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23383 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23384 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23386 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23387 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23388 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23389 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23390 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23391 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23392 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23394 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23395 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23396 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23397 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23398 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23399 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23400 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23402 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23403 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23404 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23405 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23406 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23412 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23414 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23415 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23416 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23417 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23419 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23420 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23421 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23422 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23423 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23424 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23425 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23428 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23429 write the following:
23432 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23435 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23436 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23437 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23440 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23441 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23442 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23443 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23444 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23446 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23447 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23448 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23452 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23456 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23459 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23460 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23463 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23466 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23467 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23470 @include gnus-faq.texi
23491 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23492 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23493 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23494 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23495 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref