1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.10.057 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
54 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
56 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
57 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
58 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
59 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
62 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
68 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
69 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
70 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
73 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
75 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
82 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
84 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
86 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
87 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
90 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
91 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
92 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
97 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
99 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
106 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
107 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
110 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
111 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
114 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
115 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
118 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
119 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
122 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
124 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
125 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
129 \newenvironment{codelist}%
134 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
140 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
145 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
150 \newenvironment{samplist}%
155 \newenvironment{varlist}%
160 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
165 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
166 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
167 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
169 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
174 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
178 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
187 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
189 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
194 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
199 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
203 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
211 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
213 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
223 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
227 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
235 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
237 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
242 \pagenumbering{roman}
243 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
253 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
254 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
256 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
258 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
261 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
271 \thispagestyle{empty}
273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Semi-gnus 6.10.057 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
358 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
359 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
360 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
361 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
362 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
364 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.10.057.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
384 even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
412 @chapter Starting gnus
417 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
418 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
421 @findex gnus-other-frame
422 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
423 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
424 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
426 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
427 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
428 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
430 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
431 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
441 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
442 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
443 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 @node Finding the News
449 @section Finding the News
452 @vindex gnus-select-method
454 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
455 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
456 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
457 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
460 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
461 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
464 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
467 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
470 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
473 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
474 certainly be much faster.
476 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
478 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
479 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
480 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
481 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
482 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
483 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
485 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
486 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
487 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
488 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
490 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
491 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
492 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
493 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
494 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
495 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
496 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
497 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
498 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
501 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
503 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
504 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
505 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
506 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
507 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
508 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
510 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
512 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
513 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
514 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
515 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
516 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
517 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
520 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
521 would typically set this variable to
524 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
529 @section The First Time
530 @cindex first time usage
532 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
533 be subscribed by default.
535 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
536 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
537 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
538 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
541 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
542 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
543 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
545 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
546 help you with most common problems.
548 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
549 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
553 @node The Server is Down
554 @section The Server is Down
555 @cindex server errors
557 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
558 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
559 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
561 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
562 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
563 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
564 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
565 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
566 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
567 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
569 @findex gnus-no-server
570 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
572 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
573 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
574 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
575 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
576 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
577 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
582 @section Slave Gnusae
585 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
586 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
587 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
588 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
590 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
593 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
594 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
595 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
596 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
597 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
598 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
599 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
601 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
602 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
603 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
604 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
605 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
606 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
607 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
608 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
610 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
611 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
614 @node Fetching a Group
615 @section Fetching a Group
616 @cindex fetching a group
618 @findex gnus-fetch-group
619 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
620 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
621 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
622 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
623 It takes the group name as a parameter.
631 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
632 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
633 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
634 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
635 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
636 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
637 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
638 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
639 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
642 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
643 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
644 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
648 @node Checking New Groups
649 @subsection Checking New Groups
651 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
652 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
653 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
654 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
655 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
656 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
657 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
658 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
659 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
660 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
662 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
663 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
664 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
665 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
666 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
667 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
668 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
669 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
670 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
671 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
672 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
674 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
675 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
676 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
677 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
678 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
679 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
682 @node Subscription Methods
683 @subsection Subscription Methods
685 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
686 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
687 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
689 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
690 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
692 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
696 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
698 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
699 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
700 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
702 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
703 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
704 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
705 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
707 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
708 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
709 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
711 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
712 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
713 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
714 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
715 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
716 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
717 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
718 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
719 up. Or something like that.
721 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
723 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
724 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
725 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
727 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
728 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
733 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
734 A closely related variable is
735 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
736 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
737 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
738 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
741 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
742 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
743 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
744 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
747 @node Filtering New Groups
748 @subsection Filtering New Groups
750 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
751 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
752 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
755 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
758 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
759 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
760 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
761 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
762 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
763 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
764 subscribing these groups.
765 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
766 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
768 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
769 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
770 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
771 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
772 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
773 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
774 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
775 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
777 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
778 Yet another variable that meddles here is
779 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
780 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
781 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
782 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
783 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
784 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
785 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
786 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
788 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
789 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
792 @node Changing Servers
793 @section Changing Servers
794 @cindex changing servers
796 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
797 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
798 very flaky and you want to use another.
800 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
801 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
805 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
806 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
807 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
808 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
811 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
812 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
813 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
814 functions more than absolutely necessary.
816 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
817 @findex gnus-change-server
818 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
819 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
820 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
821 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
822 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
824 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
825 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
826 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
827 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
828 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
830 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
831 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
832 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
833 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
834 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
835 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
837 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
838 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
839 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
843 @section Startup Files
844 @cindex startup files
849 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
850 information is traditionally stored in this file.
852 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
853 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
854 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
855 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
856 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
857 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
858 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
860 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
861 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
862 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
863 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
864 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
865 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
867 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
868 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
869 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
870 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
871 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
872 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
874 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
875 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
876 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
877 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
878 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
879 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
880 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
881 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
882 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
883 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
884 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
885 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
887 @vindex gnus-startup-file
888 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
889 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
890 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
892 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
893 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
894 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
895 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
896 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
897 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
898 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
899 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
900 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
901 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
904 (defun turn-off-backup ()
905 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
907 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
908 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
911 @vindex gnus-init-file
912 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
913 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
914 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
915 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
916 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
917 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
918 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
919 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
920 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
929 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
930 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
931 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
932 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
933 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
936 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
937 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
940 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
941 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
942 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
944 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
945 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
946 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
947 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
948 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
949 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
951 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
952 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
953 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
956 @node The Active File
957 @section The Active File
959 @cindex ignored groups
961 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
962 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
963 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
965 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
966 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
967 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
968 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
969 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
970 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
971 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
974 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
975 @c if you set it to anything else.
977 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
979 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
980 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
981 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
983 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
984 you actually subscribe to.
986 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
987 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
988 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
989 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
991 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
992 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
993 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
994 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
995 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
996 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
998 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
999 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1000 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1001 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1002 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1003 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1005 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1006 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1008 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1009 secondary select methods.
1012 @node Startup Variables
1013 @section Startup Variables
1017 @item gnus-load-hook
1018 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1019 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1020 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1021 times you start gnus.
1023 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1024 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1025 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1027 @item gnus-startup-hook
1028 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1029 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1031 @item gnus-started-hook
1032 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1033 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1036 @item gnus-started-hook
1037 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1038 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1039 generating the group buffer.
1041 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1042 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1043 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1044 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1045 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1046 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1047 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1048 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1050 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1051 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1052 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1053 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1054 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1055 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1057 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1058 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1059 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1061 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1062 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1063 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1065 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1066 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1067 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1068 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1073 @node The Group Buffer
1074 @chapter The Group Buffer
1075 @cindex group buffer
1077 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1078 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1079 long as gnus is active.
1083 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1084 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1085 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1086 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1087 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1088 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1089 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1090 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1096 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1097 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1098 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1099 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1100 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1101 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1102 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1103 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1104 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1105 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1106 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1107 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1108 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1109 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1110 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1111 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1112 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1116 @node Group Buffer Format
1117 @section Group Buffer Format
1120 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1121 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1122 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1126 @node Group Line Specification
1127 @subsection Group Line Specification
1128 @cindex group buffer format
1130 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1131 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1133 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1136 25: news.announce.newusers
1137 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1142 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1143 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1144 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1145 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1147 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1148 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1149 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1150 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1151 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1152 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1154 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1156 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1157 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1158 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1159 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1162 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1163 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1164 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1166 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1171 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1174 Whether the group is subscribed.
1177 Level of subscribedness.
1180 Number of unread articles.
1183 Number of dormant articles.
1186 Number of ticked articles.
1189 Number of read articles.
1192 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1193 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1196 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1199 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1208 Newsgroup description.
1211 @samp{m} if moderated.
1214 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1223 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1227 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1230 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1231 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1232 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1233 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1234 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1237 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1239 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1243 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1247 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1248 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1249 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1250 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1251 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1252 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1257 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1258 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1259 group, or a bogus native group.
1262 @node Group Modeline Specification
1263 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1264 @cindex group modeline
1266 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1267 The mode line can be changed by setting
1268 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1269 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1273 The native news server.
1275 The native select method.
1279 @node Group Highlighting
1280 @subsection Group Highlighting
1281 @cindex highlighting
1282 @cindex group highlighting
1284 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1285 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1286 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1287 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1288 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1290 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1294 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1295 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1296 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1297 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1298 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1299 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1300 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1301 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1302 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1303 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1305 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1306 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1307 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1308 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1309 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1310 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1313 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1315 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1322 The number of unread articles in the group.
1326 Whether the group is a mail group.
1328 The level of the group.
1330 The score of the group.
1332 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1334 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1335 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1337 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1338 topic being inserted.
1341 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1342 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1343 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1345 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1346 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1347 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1348 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1349 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1352 @node Group Maneuvering
1353 @section Group Maneuvering
1354 @cindex group movement
1356 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1357 expected, hopefully.
1363 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1364 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1365 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1372 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1373 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1377 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1378 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1382 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1383 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1387 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1388 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1389 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1393 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1394 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1395 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1398 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1404 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1405 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1406 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1411 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1412 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1413 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1417 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1418 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1419 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1422 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1423 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1424 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1425 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1429 @node Selecting a Group
1430 @section Selecting a Group
1431 @cindex group selection
1436 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1437 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1438 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1439 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1440 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1441 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1442 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1443 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1444 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1445 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1449 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1450 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1451 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1452 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1453 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1457 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1458 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1459 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1460 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1461 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1462 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1463 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1464 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1465 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1466 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1469 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1470 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1471 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1472 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1473 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1476 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1477 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1478 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1479 doing any processing of its contents
1480 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1481 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1482 manner will have no permanent effects.
1486 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1487 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1488 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1489 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1490 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1491 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1492 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1493 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1496 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1498 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1499 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1504 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1505 full summary buffer.
1508 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1511 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1516 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1517 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1518 Useful functions include:
1521 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1522 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1523 don't select the article.
1525 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1526 Select the first unread article.
1528 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1529 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1533 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1534 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1535 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1539 @node Subscription Commands
1540 @section Subscription Commands
1541 @cindex subscription
1549 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1550 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1551 Toggle subscription to the current group
1552 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1558 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1559 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1560 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1561 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1567 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1568 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1569 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1575 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1576 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1579 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1580 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1581 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1582 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1583 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1589 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1590 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1594 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1595 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1598 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1599 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1600 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1601 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1602 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1603 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1604 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1605 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1606 @file{.newsrc} file.
1610 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1620 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1621 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1622 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1623 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1624 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1625 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1630 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1631 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1632 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1636 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1637 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1638 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1640 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1641 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1642 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1643 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1644 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1645 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1652 @section Group Levels
1656 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1657 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1658 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1659 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1660 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1662 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1668 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1669 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1670 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1671 prompted for a level.
1674 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1675 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1676 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1677 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1678 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1679 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1680 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1681 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1682 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1683 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1684 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1685 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1686 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1687 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1688 reasons of efficiency.
1690 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1691 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1693 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1694 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1695 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1697 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1698 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1699 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1700 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1701 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1702 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1703 relevant valid ranges.
1705 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1706 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1707 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1708 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1709 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1710 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1713 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1714 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1715 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1718 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1719 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1720 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1721 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1724 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1725 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1726 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1727 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1729 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1730 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1731 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1732 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1733 to 5. The default is 6.
1737 @section Group Score
1742 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1743 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1744 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1747 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1748 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1749 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1750 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1751 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1752 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1753 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1755 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1756 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1757 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1758 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1759 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1760 action after each summary exit, you can add
1761 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1762 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1763 slow things down somewhat.
1766 @node Marking Groups
1767 @section Marking Groups
1768 @cindex marking groups
1770 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1771 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1772 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1773 bidding on those groups.
1775 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1776 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1777 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1785 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1786 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1792 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1793 Remove the mark from the current group
1794 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1798 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1799 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1803 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1804 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1808 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1809 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1813 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1814 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1815 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1818 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1820 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1821 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1822 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1823 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1824 the command to be executed.
1827 @node Foreign Groups
1828 @section Foreign Groups
1829 @cindex foreign groups
1831 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1832 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1833 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1834 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1841 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1842 @cindex making groups
1843 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1844 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1845 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1849 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1850 @cindex renaming groups
1851 Rename the current group to something else
1852 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1853 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1859 @findex gnus-group-customize
1860 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1864 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1865 @cindex renaming groups
1866 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1867 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1872 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1873 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1877 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1878 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1879 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1883 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1885 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1886 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1891 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1892 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1896 @cindex (ding) archive
1897 @cindex archive group
1898 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1899 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1900 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1901 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1902 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1903 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1904 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1908 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1910 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1911 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1912 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1913 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1917 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1919 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1920 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1921 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1925 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1926 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1928 Make a group based on some file or other
1929 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1930 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1931 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1932 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1933 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1934 this command without a prefix, gnus will guess at the file type.
1935 @xref{Document Groups}.
1939 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1940 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1941 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1942 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1946 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1951 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1952 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1953 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1954 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1955 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1956 @xref{Web Searches}.
1958 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1959 to a particular group by using a match string like
1960 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1963 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1964 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1965 This function will delete the current group
1966 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1967 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1968 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1969 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1970 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1974 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1975 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1976 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1980 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1981 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1982 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1985 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1988 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1989 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1990 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1991 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1992 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1993 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1997 @node Group Parameters
1998 @section Group Parameters
1999 @cindex group parameters
2001 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2002 Here's an example group parameter list:
2005 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2009 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2010 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2011 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2012 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2014 The following group parameters can be used:
2019 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2022 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2025 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2026 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2027 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2028 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2029 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2031 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2032 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2033 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2034 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2035 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2036 list address instead.
2040 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2043 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2046 It is totally ignored
2047 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2048 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2050 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2051 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2052 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2053 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2054 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2056 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2057 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2058 sending the message.
2062 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2063 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2064 of whether it has any unread articles.
2066 @item broken-reply-to
2067 @cindex broken-reply-to
2068 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2069 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2070 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2071 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2072 broken behavior. So there!
2076 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2077 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2081 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2082 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2083 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2088 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2089 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2090 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2091 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2092 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2093 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2094 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2098 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2099 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2100 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2103 @cindex total-expire
2104 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2105 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2106 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2107 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2112 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2113 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2114 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2115 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2116 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2117 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2120 @cindex score file group parameter
2121 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2122 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2123 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2126 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2127 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2128 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2129 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2132 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2133 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2134 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2135 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2138 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2139 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2143 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2146 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2151 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2152 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2153 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2157 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2158 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2159 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2161 @item @var{(variable form)}
2162 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2163 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2164 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2165 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2166 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2167 @code{eval}ed there.
2169 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2170 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2171 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2172 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2173 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2176 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2177 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2178 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2179 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2180 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2182 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2183 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2184 like this in the group parameters:
2189 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2194 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2195 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2199 @node Listing Groups
2200 @section Listing Groups
2201 @cindex group listing
2203 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2211 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2212 List all groups that have unread articles
2213 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2214 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2215 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2216 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2223 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2224 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2225 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2226 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2227 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2228 unsubscribed groups).
2232 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2233 List all unread groups on a specific level
2234 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2235 with no unread articles.
2239 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2240 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2241 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2242 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2247 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2248 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2253 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2254 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2258 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2259 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2264 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2265 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2266 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2267 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2268 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2269 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2270 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2274 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2275 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2276 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2280 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2281 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2282 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2286 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2287 @cindex visible group parameter
2288 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2289 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2290 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2291 get the same effect.
2293 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2294 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2295 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2296 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2297 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2300 @node Sorting Groups
2301 @section Sorting Groups
2302 @cindex sorting groups
2304 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2305 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2306 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2307 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2308 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2309 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2314 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2315 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2316 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2318 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2319 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2320 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2322 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2323 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2324 Sort by group level.
2326 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2327 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2328 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2330 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2332 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2333 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2335 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2336 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2337 Sort by number of unread articles.
2339 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2340 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2341 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2346 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2347 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2351 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2352 some sorting criteria:
2356 @kindex G S a (Group)
2357 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2358 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2359 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2362 @kindex G S u (Group)
2363 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2364 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2365 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2368 @kindex G S l (Group)
2369 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2370 Sort the group buffer by group level
2371 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2374 @kindex G S v (Group)
2375 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2376 Sort the group buffer by group score
2377 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2380 @kindex G S r (Group)
2381 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2382 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2383 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2386 @kindex G S m (Group)
2387 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2388 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2389 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2393 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2394 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2396 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2397 commands will sort in reverse order.
2399 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2403 @kindex G P a (Group)
2404 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2405 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2406 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2409 @kindex G P u (Group)
2410 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2411 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2412 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2415 @kindex G P l (Group)
2416 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2417 Sort the groups by group level
2418 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2421 @kindex G P v (Group)
2422 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2423 Sort the groups by group score
2424 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2427 @kindex G P r (Group)
2428 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2429 Sort the groups by group rank
2430 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2433 @kindex G P m (Group)
2434 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2435 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2436 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2442 @node Group Maintenance
2443 @section Group Maintenance
2444 @cindex bogus groups
2449 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2450 Find bogus groups and delete them
2451 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2456 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2457 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2458 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2459 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2463 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2464 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2465 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2466 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2469 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2470 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2471 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2472 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2477 @node Browse Foreign Server
2478 @section Browse Foreign Server
2479 @cindex foreign servers
2480 @cindex browsing servers
2485 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2486 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2487 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2488 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2491 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2492 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2493 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2494 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2496 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2501 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2502 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2506 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2507 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2510 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2511 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2512 Enter the current group and display the first article
2513 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2516 @kindex RET (Browse)
2517 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2518 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2522 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2523 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2524 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2530 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2531 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2535 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2536 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2537 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2542 @section Exiting gnus
2543 @cindex exiting gnus
2545 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2550 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2551 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
2552 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2553 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2557 @findex gnus-group-exit
2558 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2559 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-quit
2564 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2565 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2568 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2569 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2570 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2571 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2572 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2577 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2578 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2579 trying to customize meta-variables.
2584 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2585 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2586 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2592 @section Group Topics
2595 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2596 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2597 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2598 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2599 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2600 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2604 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2605 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2616 2: alt.religion.emacs
2619 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2621 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2622 13: comp.sources.unix
2625 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2627 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2628 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2629 is a toggling command.)
2631 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2632 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2633 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2634 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2637 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2638 the hook for the group mode:
2641 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2645 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2646 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2647 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2648 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2649 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2653 @node Topic Variables
2654 @subsection Topic Variables
2655 @cindex topic variables
2657 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2658 really neat, I think.
2660 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2661 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2662 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2675 Number of groups in the topic.
2677 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2679 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2682 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2683 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2684 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2687 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2688 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2690 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2691 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2692 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2695 @node Topic Commands
2696 @subsection Topic Commands
2697 @cindex topic commands
2699 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2700 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2701 definitions slightly.
2707 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2708 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2709 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2713 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2714 Move the current group to some other topic
2715 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2716 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2720 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2721 Copy the current group to some other topic
2722 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2723 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2727 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2728 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2729 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2730 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2731 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2732 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2733 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2736 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2737 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2741 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2742 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2743 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2747 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2748 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2749 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2753 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2754 Toggle hiding empty topics
2755 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2759 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2760 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2761 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2764 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2765 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2766 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2767 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2771 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2773 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2774 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2775 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2776 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2779 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2780 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2781 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2782 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2786 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2788 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2789 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2790 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2791 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2792 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2793 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2796 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2798 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2799 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2803 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2804 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2805 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2809 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2810 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2811 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2816 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2817 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2820 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2821 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2822 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2826 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2827 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2828 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2832 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2833 @cindex group parameters
2834 @cindex topic parameters
2836 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2837 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2843 @subsection Topic Sorting
2844 @cindex topic sorting
2846 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2852 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2853 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2854 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2855 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2858 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2859 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2860 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2861 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2864 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2865 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2866 Sort the current topic by group level
2867 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2870 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2871 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2872 Sort the current topic by group score
2873 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2876 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2877 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2878 Sort the current topic by group rank
2879 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2883 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2884 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2885 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2889 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2892 @node Topic Topology
2893 @subsection Topic Topology
2894 @cindex topic topology
2897 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2903 2: alt.religion.emacs
2906 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2908 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2909 13: comp.sources.unix
2912 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2913 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2914 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2919 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2920 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2924 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2925 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2926 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2927 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2928 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2929 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2931 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2932 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2933 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2936 @node Topic Parameters
2937 @subsection Topic Parameters
2938 @cindex topic parameters
2940 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2941 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2942 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2944 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2945 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2946 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2947 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2953 2: alt.religion.emacs
2957 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2959 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2960 13: comp.sources.unix
2964 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2965 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2966 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2967 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2968 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2969 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2971 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2972 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2973 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2974 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2975 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2977 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2978 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2979 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2980 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2981 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2982 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2983 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2984 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2987 @node Misc Group Stuff
2988 @section Misc Group Stuff
2991 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2992 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
2993 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2994 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3001 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3002 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3003 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3007 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3008 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3009 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3013 @findex gnus-group-mail
3014 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3018 Variables for the group buffer:
3022 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3023 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3024 is called after the group buffer has been
3027 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3028 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3029 is called after the group buffer is
3030 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3033 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3034 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3035 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3036 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3038 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3039 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3040 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3041 whether they are empty or not.
3046 @node Scanning New Messages
3047 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3048 @cindex new messages
3049 @cindex scanning new news
3055 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3056 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3057 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3058 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3059 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3060 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3065 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3066 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3067 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3068 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3069 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3070 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3071 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3073 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3074 @cindex activating groups
3076 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3077 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3082 @findex gnus-group-restart
3083 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3084 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3085 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3089 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3090 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3092 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3093 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3097 @node Group Information
3098 @subsection Group Information
3099 @cindex group information
3100 @cindex information on groups
3107 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3108 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3111 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3112 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3113 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3114 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3115 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3116 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3117 for fetching the file.
3119 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3120 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3124 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3126 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3127 @cindex describing groups
3128 @cindex group description
3129 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3130 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3131 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3135 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3136 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3137 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3144 @findex gnus-version
3145 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3149 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3150 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3153 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3156 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3157 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3161 @node Group Timestamp
3162 @subsection Group Timestamp
3164 @cindex group timestamps
3166 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3167 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3168 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3171 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3174 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3176 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3177 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3180 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3181 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3184 This will result in lines looking like:
3187 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3188 0: custom 19961002T012713
3191 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3192 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3196 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3197 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3202 @subsection File Commands
3203 @cindex file commands
3209 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3210 @vindex gnus-init-file
3211 @cindex reading init file
3212 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3213 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3217 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3218 @cindex saving .newsrc
3219 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3220 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3221 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3224 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3225 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3226 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3231 @node The Summary Buffer
3232 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3233 @cindex summary buffer
3235 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3236 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3238 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3239 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3241 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3244 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3245 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3246 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3247 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3248 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3249 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3250 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3251 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3252 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3253 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3254 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3255 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3256 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3257 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3258 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3259 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3260 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3261 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3262 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3263 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3264 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3265 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3266 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3267 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3268 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3269 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3270 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3271 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3275 @node Summary Buffer Format
3276 @section Summary Buffer Format
3277 @cindex summary buffer format
3281 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3282 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3283 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3289 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3290 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3291 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3292 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3295 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3296 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3297 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3298 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3299 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3300 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3301 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3302 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3303 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3304 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3305 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3306 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3307 other function instead:
3310 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3311 'mail-extract-address-components)
3314 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3315 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3316 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3317 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3320 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3321 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3323 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3324 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3325 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3326 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3327 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3329 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3331 The following format specification characters are understood:
3339 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3340 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3341 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3343 Full @code{From} header.
3345 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3347 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3348 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3350 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3351 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3352 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3353 may be more thorough.
3355 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3358 Number of lines in the article.
3360 Number of characters in the article.
3362 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3364 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3365 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3367 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3368 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3370 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3371 for adopted articles.
3373 One space for each thread level.
3375 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3380 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3381 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3385 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3387 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3388 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3389 default level. If the difference between
3390 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3391 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3399 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3401 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3407 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3408 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3410 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3411 article has any children.
3417 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3418 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3419 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3420 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3421 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3422 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3425 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3426 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3427 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3428 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3429 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3430 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3432 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3433 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3435 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3438 @node To From Newsgroups
3439 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3443 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3444 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3445 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3446 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3447 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3451 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3452 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3453 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3457 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3458 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3461 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3462 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3465 @findex gnus-extra-header
3466 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3467 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3468 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3471 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3475 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3476 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3477 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3478 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3479 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3480 headers are used instead.
3484 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3485 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3486 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3487 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3490 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3491 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3492 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3493 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3495 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3498 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3500 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3501 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3502 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3503 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3507 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
3508 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
3515 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
3516 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
3519 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3520 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3522 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3523 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3524 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3525 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3527 Here are the elements you can play with:
3533 Unprefixed group name.
3535 Current article number.
3537 Current article score.
3541 Number of unread articles in this group.
3543 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3546 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3547 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3548 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3549 and no unselected ones.
3551 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3552 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3554 Subject of the current article.
3556 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3558 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3560 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3562 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3564 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3566 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3570 @node Summary Highlighting
3571 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3575 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3576 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3577 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3578 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3579 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3581 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3582 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3583 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3584 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3586 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3587 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3588 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3589 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3591 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3592 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3593 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3594 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3595 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3596 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3598 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3599 ((> score default) . bold))
3601 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3602 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3606 @node Summary Maneuvering
3607 @section Summary Maneuvering
3608 @cindex summary movement
3610 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3611 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3613 None of these commands select articles.
3618 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3619 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3620 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3621 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3622 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3626 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3627 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3628 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3629 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3630 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3635 @kindex G j (Summary)
3636 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3637 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3638 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3641 @kindex G g (Summary)
3642 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3643 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3644 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3647 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3648 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3649 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3650 to the group buffer.
3652 Variables related to summary movement:
3656 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3657 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3658 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3659 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3660 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3661 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3662 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3663 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3664 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3665 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3666 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3667 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3668 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3669 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3671 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3672 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3673 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3674 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3675 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3676 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3677 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3679 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3681 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3682 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3683 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3684 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3685 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3687 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3688 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3689 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3690 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3691 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3692 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3693 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3694 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3697 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3698 the given number of lines from the top.
3703 @node Choosing Articles
3704 @section Choosing Articles
3705 @cindex selecting articles
3708 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3709 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3713 @node Choosing Commands
3714 @subsection Choosing Commands
3716 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3717 and they all select and display an article.
3721 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3722 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3723 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3724 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3729 @kindex G n (Summary)
3730 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3731 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3732 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3737 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3738 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3739 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3744 @kindex G N (Summary)
3745 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3746 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3751 @kindex G P (Summary)
3752 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3753 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3756 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3757 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3758 Go to the next article with the same subject
3759 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3762 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3763 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3764 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3765 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3769 @kindex G f (Summary)
3771 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3772 Go to the first unread article
3773 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3777 @kindex G b (Summary)
3779 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3780 Go to the article with the highest score
3781 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3786 @kindex G l (Summary)
3787 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3788 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3791 @kindex G o (Summary)
3792 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3794 @cindex article history
3795 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3796 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3797 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3798 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3799 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3800 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3804 @node Choosing Variables
3805 @subsection Choosing Variables
3807 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3810 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3811 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3812 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3813 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3814 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3815 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3817 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3818 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3819 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3820 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3822 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3823 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3824 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3825 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3826 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3827 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3828 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3829 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3830 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3831 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3832 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3833 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3834 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3835 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3840 @node Paging the Article
3841 @section Scrolling the Article
3842 @cindex article scrolling
3847 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3848 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3849 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3850 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3851 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3854 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3855 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3856 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3859 @kindex RET (Summary)
3860 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3861 Scroll the current article one line forward
3862 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3865 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3866 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3867 Scroll the current article one line backward
3868 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3872 @kindex A g (Summary)
3874 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3875 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3876 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3877 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3878 the way it came from the server.
3883 @kindex A < (Summary)
3884 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3885 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3886 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3891 @kindex A > (Summary)
3892 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3893 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3897 @kindex A s (Summary)
3899 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3900 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3901 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3905 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3906 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3911 @node Reply Followup and Post
3912 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3915 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3916 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3920 @node Summary Mail Commands
3921 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3923 @cindex composing mail
3925 Commands for composing a mail message:
3931 @kindex S r (Summary)
3933 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3935 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3936 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3937 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3942 @kindex S R (Summary)
3943 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3944 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3945 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3946 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3947 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3950 @kindex S w (Summary)
3951 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3952 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3953 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3954 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3955 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3958 @kindex S W (Summary)
3959 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3960 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3961 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3962 the process/prefix convention.
3965 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3966 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3967 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3968 Forward the current article to some other person
3969 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3970 headers of the forwarded article.
3975 @kindex S m (Summary)
3976 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3977 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3978 Send a mail to some other person
3979 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3982 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3983 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3984 @cindex bouncing mail
3985 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3986 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3987 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3988 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3989 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3990 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
3991 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3992 very well fail, though.
3995 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3996 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3997 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3998 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3999 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4000 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4001 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4002 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4003 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4004 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4006 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4007 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4008 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4009 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4010 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung mu
\e(I_
\e(B sein!
4012 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4013 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4016 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4017 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4018 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4019 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4020 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4023 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4024 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4025 @cindex crossposting
4026 @cindex excessive crossposting
4027 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4028 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4030 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4031 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4032 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4033 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4034 command understands the process/prefix convention
4035 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4039 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4042 @node Summary Post Commands
4043 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4045 @cindex composing news
4047 Commands for posting a news article:
4053 @kindex S p (Summary)
4054 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4056 Post an article to the current group
4057 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4062 @kindex S f (Summary)
4063 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4064 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4065 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4069 @kindex S F (Summary)
4071 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4072 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4073 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4074 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4075 process/prefix convention.
4078 @kindex S n (Summary)
4079 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4080 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4081 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4084 @kindex S N (Summary)
4085 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4086 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4087 message through mail and include the original message
4088 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4089 the process/prefix convention.
4092 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4093 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4094 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4095 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4096 headers of the forwarded article.
4099 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4100 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4102 @cindex making digests
4103 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4104 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4105 process/prefix convention.
4108 @kindex S u (Summary)
4109 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4110 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4111 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4112 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4115 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4118 @node Canceling and Superseding
4119 @section Canceling Articles
4120 @cindex canceling articles
4121 @cindex superseding articles
4123 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4124 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4126 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4128 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4130 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4131 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4132 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4133 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4134 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4135 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4137 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4138 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4141 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4142 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4143 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4145 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4146 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4147 your original article.
4149 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4151 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4152 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4153 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4156 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4157 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4158 have posted almost the same article twice.
4160 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4161 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4162 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4163 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4164 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4165 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4166 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4167 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4168 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4169 canceled/superseded.
4171 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4174 @node Marking Articles
4175 @section Marking Articles
4176 @cindex article marking
4177 @cindex article ticking
4180 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4182 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4183 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4184 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4186 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4189 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4190 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4191 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4195 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4199 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4200 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4204 @node Unread Articles
4205 @subsection Unread Articles
4207 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4212 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4213 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4215 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4216 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4217 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4218 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4219 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4223 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4224 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4226 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4227 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4228 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4231 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4232 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4234 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4239 @subsection Read Articles
4240 @cindex expirable mark
4242 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4247 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4248 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4249 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4252 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4253 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4256 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4257 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4258 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4261 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4262 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4265 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4266 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4269 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4270 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4273 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4274 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4277 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4278 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4281 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4282 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4285 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4286 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4290 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4291 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4292 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4296 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4297 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4299 One more special mark, though:
4303 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4304 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4306 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4307 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4308 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4309 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4315 @subsection Other Marks
4316 @cindex process mark
4319 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4325 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4326 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4327 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4328 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4329 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4332 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4333 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4334 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4335 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4338 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4339 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4340 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4343 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4344 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4345 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4346 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4349 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4350 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4351 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4352 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4353 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4356 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4357 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4358 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4359 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4360 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4361 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4365 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4366 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4367 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4369 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4370 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4371 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4375 @subsection Setting Marks
4376 @cindex setting marks
4378 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4383 @kindex M c (Summary)
4384 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4385 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4386 @cindex mark as unread
4387 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4388 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4394 @kindex M t (Summary)
4395 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4396 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4397 @xref{Article Caching}.
4402 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4404 Mark the current article as dormant
4405 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4409 @kindex M d (Summary)
4411 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4412 Mark the current article as read
4413 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4417 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4418 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4419 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4424 @kindex M k (Summary)
4425 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4426 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4427 and then select the next unread article
4428 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4432 @kindex M K (Summary)
4433 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4434 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4435 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4436 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4439 @kindex M C (Summary)
4440 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4441 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4442 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4445 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4446 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4447 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4448 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4451 @kindex M H (Summary)
4452 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4453 Catchup the current group to point
4454 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4457 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4458 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4459 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4460 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4463 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4464 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4465 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4466 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4470 @kindex M e (Summary)
4472 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4473 Mark the current article as expirable
4474 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4477 @kindex M b (Summary)
4478 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4479 Set a bookmark in the current article
4480 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4483 @kindex M B (Summary)
4484 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4485 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4486 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4489 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4490 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4491 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4492 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4495 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4496 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4497 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4498 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4501 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4502 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4503 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4504 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4505 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4508 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4509 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4510 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4511 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4512 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4513 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4514 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4515 The default is @code{t}.
4518 @node Setting Process Marks
4519 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4520 @cindex setting process marks
4527 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4528 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4529 Mark the current article with the process mark
4530 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4531 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4535 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4536 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4537 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4538 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4541 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4542 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4543 Remove the process mark from all articles
4544 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4547 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4548 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4549 Invert the list of process marked articles
4550 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4553 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4554 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4555 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4556 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4559 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4560 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4561 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4564 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4565 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4566 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4567 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4570 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4571 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4572 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4573 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4576 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4578 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4579 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4582 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4583 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4584 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4587 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4588 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4589 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4590 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4593 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4594 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4595 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4598 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4599 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4600 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4601 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4604 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4605 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4606 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4607 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4610 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4611 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4612 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4613 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4616 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4617 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4618 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4619 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4628 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4629 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4630 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4633 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4634 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4635 additional articles.
4641 @kindex / / (Summary)
4642 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4643 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4644 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4647 @kindex / a (Summary)
4648 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4649 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4650 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4654 @kindex / u (Summary)
4656 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4657 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4658 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4659 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4660 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4663 @kindex / m (Summary)
4664 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4665 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4666 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4669 @kindex / t (Summary)
4670 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4671 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4672 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4673 articles younger than that number of days.
4676 @kindex / n (Summary)
4677 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4678 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4679 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4680 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4683 @kindex / w (Summary)
4684 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4685 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4686 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4690 @kindex / v (Summary)
4691 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4692 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4693 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4697 @kindex M S (Summary)
4698 @kindex / E (Summary)
4699 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4700 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4701 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4704 @kindex / D (Summary)
4705 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4706 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4707 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4710 @kindex / * (Summary)
4711 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4712 Include all cached articles in the limit
4713 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4716 @kindex / d (Summary)
4717 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4718 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4719 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4722 @kindex / T (Summary)
4723 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4724 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4727 @kindex / c (Summary)
4728 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4729 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4730 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4733 @kindex / C (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4735 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4736 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4737 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4745 @cindex article threading
4747 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4748 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4749 hierarchical fashion.
4751 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4752 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4753 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4754 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4755 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4756 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4757 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4759 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4763 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4766 A tree-like article structure.
4769 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4772 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4773 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4774 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4775 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4776 called loose threads.
4778 @item thread gathering
4779 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4781 @item sparse threads
4782 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4783 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4789 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4790 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4794 @node Customizing Threading
4795 @subsection Customizing Threading
4796 @cindex customizing threading
4799 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4800 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4801 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4802 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4807 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4810 @cindex loose threads
4813 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4814 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4815 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4816 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4817 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4818 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4820 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4821 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4822 There are four possible values:
4826 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4827 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4828 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4829 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4830 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4835 @cindex adopting articles
4840 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4841 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4842 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4843 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4846 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4847 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4848 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4849 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4850 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4851 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4852 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4855 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4856 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4857 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4861 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4862 display them after one another.
4865 Don't gather loose threads.
4868 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4869 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4870 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4871 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4872 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4873 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4874 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4875 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4876 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4877 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4878 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4880 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4881 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4882 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4885 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4886 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4887 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4888 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4889 simplification is used.
4891 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4892 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4893 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4894 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4896 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4898 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4904 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4905 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4906 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4907 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4912 (mapconcat 'identity
4913 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4915 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4918 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4921 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4922 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4923 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4924 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4925 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4926 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4928 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4931 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4932 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4933 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4935 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4936 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4939 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4940 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4941 Remove excessive whitespace.
4944 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4947 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4948 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4949 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4950 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4951 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4952 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4953 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4954 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4956 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4957 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4958 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4959 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4960 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4961 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4962 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4963 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4964 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4968 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4969 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4970 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4971 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4973 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4974 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4975 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4978 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4982 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4983 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4989 @node Filling In Threads
4990 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4993 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4994 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4995 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4996 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4997 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4998 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4999 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5000 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5001 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5002 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5003 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5004 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5006 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5007 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5008 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5010 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5011 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5012 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5013 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5014 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5015 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5016 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5017 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5018 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5019 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5020 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5021 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5022 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5023 @code{nil} by default.
5028 @node More Threading
5029 @subsubsection More Threading
5032 @item gnus-show-threads
5033 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5034 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5035 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5036 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5037 slower and more awkward.
5039 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5040 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5041 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5044 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5045 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5046 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5047 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5048 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5049 threads are expunged.
5051 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5052 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5053 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5056 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5057 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5058 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5059 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5060 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5063 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5064 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5065 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5071 @node Low-Level Threading
5072 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5076 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5077 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5078 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5079 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5080 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5081 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5083 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5084 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5085 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5086 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5087 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5088 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5089 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5090 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5091 meaningful. Here's one example:
5094 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5096 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5097 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5099 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5101 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5108 @node Thread Commands
5109 @subsection Thread Commands
5110 @cindex thread commands
5116 @kindex T k (Summary)
5117 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5118 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5119 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5120 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5121 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5126 @kindex T l (Summary)
5127 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5128 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5129 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5130 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5133 @kindex T i (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5135 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5139 @kindex T # (Summary)
5140 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5141 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5142 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5145 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5147 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5148 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5151 @kindex T T (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5153 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5156 @kindex T s (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5158 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5159 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5162 @kindex T h (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5164 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5167 @kindex T S (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5169 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5172 @kindex T H (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5174 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5177 @kindex T t (Summary)
5178 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5179 Re-thread the current article's thread
5180 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5181 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5184 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5186 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5187 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5191 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5192 understand the numeric prefix.
5197 @kindex T n (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5199 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5202 @kindex T p (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5204 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5207 @kindex T d (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5209 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5212 @kindex T u (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5214 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5217 @kindex T o (Summary)
5218 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5219 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5222 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5223 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5224 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5225 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5226 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5227 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5228 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5229 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5230 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5231 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5232 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5233 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5240 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5241 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5242 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5243 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5244 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5245 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5246 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5247 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5248 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5249 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5250 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5252 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5253 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5254 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5255 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5256 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5258 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5259 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5260 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5262 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5263 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5264 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5265 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5266 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5267 ascending article order.
5269 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5270 by number, you could do something like:
5273 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5274 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5275 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5276 (reverse gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5279 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5280 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5281 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5282 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5283 which the articles arrived.
5285 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5289 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5291 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5292 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5295 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5296 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5297 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5298 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5301 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5302 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5303 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5304 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5305 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5306 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5307 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5308 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5309 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5310 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5311 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5312 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5313 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5315 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5319 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5320 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5321 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5326 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5327 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5328 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5329 @cindex article pre-fetch
5332 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5333 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5334 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5335 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5336 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5338 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5339 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5341 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5342 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5343 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5344 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5345 connection is blocked.
5347 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5348 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5349 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5350 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5352 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5353 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5354 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5355 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5358 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5361 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5362 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5363 happen automatically.
5365 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5366 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5367 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5368 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5369 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5370 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5371 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5373 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5374 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5375 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5376 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5377 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5378 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5379 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5380 data structure as the only parameter.
5382 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5385 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5386 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5387 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5388 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5391 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5394 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5395 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
5396 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5398 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5399 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5400 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5401 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5405 Remove articles when they are read.
5408 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5411 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5413 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5414 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5415 @c from the next group.
5418 @node Article Caching
5419 @section Article Caching
5420 @cindex article caching
5423 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5424 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5425 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5426 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5427 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5429 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5431 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5432 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5433 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5434 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5435 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5436 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5437 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5438 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5440 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5441 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5442 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5443 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5444 as dormant, and don't worry.
5446 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5448 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5449 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5450 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5451 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5452 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5453 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5454 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5455 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5456 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5457 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5459 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5460 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5461 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5462 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5463 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5464 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5465 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5466 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5467 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5468 not then be downloaded by this command.
5470 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5471 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5472 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5473 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5474 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5475 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5477 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5478 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5479 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5480 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5481 variables, the group is not cached.
5483 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5484 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5485 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5486 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5487 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5488 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5489 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5490 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5491 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5495 @node Persistent Articles
5496 @section Persistent Articles
5497 @cindex persistent articles
5499 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5500 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5501 useful in my opinion.
5503 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5504 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5505 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5506 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5507 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5508 the expiry going on at the news server.
5510 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5511 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5512 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5518 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5519 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5522 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5523 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5524 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5525 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5529 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5531 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5532 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5533 interested in persistent articles:
5536 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5540 @node Article Backlog
5541 @section Article Backlog
5543 @cindex article backlog
5545 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5546 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5547 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5548 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5549 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5550 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5551 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5552 increase memory usage some.
5554 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5555 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5556 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5557 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5558 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5559 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5560 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5562 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5565 @node Saving Articles
5566 @section Saving Articles
5567 @cindex saving articles
5569 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5570 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5571 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5572 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5573 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5575 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5576 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5577 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5579 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5580 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5581 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5582 deleted before saving.
5588 @kindex O o (Summary)
5590 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5591 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5592 Save the current article using the default article saver
5593 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5596 @kindex O m (Summary)
5597 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5598 Save the current article in mail format
5599 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5602 @kindex O r (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5604 Save the current article in rmail format
5605 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5608 @kindex O f (Summary)
5609 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5610 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5611 Save the current article in plain file format
5612 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5615 @kindex O F (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5617 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5618 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5621 @kindex O b (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5623 Save the current article body in plain file format
5624 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5627 @kindex O h (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5629 Save the current article in mh folder format
5630 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5633 @kindex O v (Summary)
5634 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5635 Save the current article in a VM folder
5636 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5639 @kindex O p (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5641 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5642 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5645 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5646 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5647 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5648 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5649 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5650 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5651 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5652 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5653 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5654 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5655 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5656 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5660 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5661 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5662 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5663 functions below, or you can create your own.
5667 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5668 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5669 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5670 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5671 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5672 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5673 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5675 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5676 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5677 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5678 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5679 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5680 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5682 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5683 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5684 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5685 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5686 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5687 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5688 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5690 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5691 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5692 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5693 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5694 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5696 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5697 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5698 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5699 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5700 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5703 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5704 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5705 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5706 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5707 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5709 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5710 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5711 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5712 reader to use this setting.
5715 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5716 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5717 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5718 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5721 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5722 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5723 available functions that generate names:
5727 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5728 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5729 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5731 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5732 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5733 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5735 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5736 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5737 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5739 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5740 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5741 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5744 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5745 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5746 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5747 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5748 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5752 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5753 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5754 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5755 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5758 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5759 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5760 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5761 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5762 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5763 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5764 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5765 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5766 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5768 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5769 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5770 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5771 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5773 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5774 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5775 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5778 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5779 lots of mail groups called things like
5780 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5781 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5782 following will do just that:
5785 (defun my-save-name (group)
5786 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5787 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5789 (setq gnus-split-methods
5790 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5795 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5796 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5797 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5798 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5799 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5800 all the files in the top level directory
5801 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5802 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5803 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5804 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5806 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5807 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5808 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5809 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5810 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5813 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5817 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5818 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5821 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5822 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5823 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5824 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5827 @node Decoding Articles
5828 @section Decoding Articles
5829 @cindex decoding articles
5831 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5832 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5835 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5836 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5837 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5838 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5839 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5840 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5844 @cindex article series
5845 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5846 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5847 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5848 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5849 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5851 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5852 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5853 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5855 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5856 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5857 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5859 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5860 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5861 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5864 @node Uuencoded Articles
5865 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5867 @cindex uuencoded articles
5872 @kindex X u (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5874 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5875 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5878 @kindex X U (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5880 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5881 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5884 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5886 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5889 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5891 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5892 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5896 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5897 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5898 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5899 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5900 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5902 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5903 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5904 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5905 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5908 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5909 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5910 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5911 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5912 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5913 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5917 @node Shell Archives
5918 @subsection Shell Archives
5920 @cindex shell archives
5921 @cindex shared articles
5923 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5924 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5925 some commands to deal with these:
5930 @kindex X s (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5932 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5935 @kindex X S (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5937 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5940 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5942 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5945 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5946 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5947 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5948 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5952 @node PostScript Files
5953 @subsection PostScript Files
5959 @kindex X p (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5961 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5964 @kindex X P (Summary)
5965 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5966 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5967 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5970 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5972 View the current PostScript series
5973 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5976 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5977 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5978 View and save the current PostScript series
5979 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5984 @subsection Other Files
5988 @kindex X o (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5990 Save the current series
5991 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5994 @kindex X b (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5996 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5997 doesn't really work yet.
6001 @node Decoding Variables
6002 @subsection Decoding Variables
6004 Adjective, not verb.
6007 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6008 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6009 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6013 @node Rule Variables
6014 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6015 @cindex rule variables
6017 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6018 variables are of the form
6021 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6028 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6029 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6031 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6032 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6035 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6036 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
6039 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6040 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6041 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6042 user and default view rules.
6044 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6045 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6046 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6051 @node Other Decode Variables
6052 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6055 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6057 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6058 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6059 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6060 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6061 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6065 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6066 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6069 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6070 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6071 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6074 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6075 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6076 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6077 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6078 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6081 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6082 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6083 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6085 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6086 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6087 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6088 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6089 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6092 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6093 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6094 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6096 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6097 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6098 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6099 looking for files to display.
6101 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6102 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6103 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6106 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6107 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6108 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6111 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6112 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6113 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6116 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6117 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6118 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6121 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6122 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6123 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6124 decoded articles as unread.
6126 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6127 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6128 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6129 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6131 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6132 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6133 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6135 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6136 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6138 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6139 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6140 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6141 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6143 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6144 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6145 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6146 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6147 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6148 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6149 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6150 simply dropped them.
6155 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6156 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6160 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6161 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6162 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6163 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6164 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6165 for you when you post the article.
6167 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6168 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6169 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6170 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6172 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6173 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6174 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6175 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6176 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6177 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6178 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6180 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6181 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6182 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6183 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6184 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6185 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6186 Default is @code{t}.
6192 @subsection Viewing Files
6193 @cindex viewing files
6194 @cindex pseudo-articles
6196 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6197 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6198 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6199 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6200 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6201 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6202 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6204 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6205 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6206 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6207 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6209 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6210 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6211 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6213 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6214 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6215 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6216 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6217 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6219 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6220 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6221 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6222 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6223 a list of parameters to that command.
6225 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6226 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6227 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6229 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6230 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6231 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6234 @node Article Treatment
6235 @section Article Treatment
6237 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6238 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6239 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6240 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6241 these articles easier.
6244 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6245 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6246 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6247 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6248 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6249 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6250 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6254 @node Article Highlighting
6255 @subsection Article Highlighting
6256 @cindex highlighting
6258 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6259 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6264 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6266 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6267 Do much highlighting of the current article
6268 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6269 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6272 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6273 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6274 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6275 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6276 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6277 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6278 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6279 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6280 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6281 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6282 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6285 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6286 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6287 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6289 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6292 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6294 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6295 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6296 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6298 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6299 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6300 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6302 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6303 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6304 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6306 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6307 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6308 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6309 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6310 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6311 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6313 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6314 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6315 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6317 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6318 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6319 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6321 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6322 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6323 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6324 that it's a citation.
6326 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6327 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6328 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6330 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6331 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6332 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6334 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6335 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6336 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6337 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6343 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6344 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6345 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6346 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6347 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6348 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6349 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6350 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6355 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6358 @node Article Fontisizing
6359 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6361 @cindex article emphasis
6363 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6364 @kindex W e (Summary)
6365 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6366 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6367 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6368 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6370 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6371 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6372 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6373 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6374 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6375 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6376 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6377 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6381 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6382 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6383 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6386 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6387 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6388 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6389 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6390 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6391 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6392 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6393 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6394 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6395 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6396 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6397 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6398 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6400 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6401 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6402 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6406 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6409 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6412 @node Article Hiding
6413 @subsection Article Hiding
6414 @cindex article hiding
6416 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6417 too much cruft in most articles.
6422 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6423 @findex gnus-article-hide
6424 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6425 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6426 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6429 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6430 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6431 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6435 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6436 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6437 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6438 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6441 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6442 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6443 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6447 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6449 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6450 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6451 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6452 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6453 articles that have signatures in them do:
6455 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6457 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
6459 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6460 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6462 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6465 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6470 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6472 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6473 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6476 @kindex W W B (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
6478 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
6479 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
6480 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
6481 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
6482 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
6483 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
6484 which will be interpreted as a regulax expression matching text to be
6485 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
6486 signature should be removed.
6489 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6491 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6492 customizing the hiding:
6496 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6497 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6498 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6499 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6500 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6501 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6502 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6507 Starting point of the hidden text.
6509 Ending point of the hidden text.
6511 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6513 Number of lines of hidden text.
6516 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6517 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6518 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6523 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6524 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6526 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6527 following two variables:
6530 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6531 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6532 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6533 50), hide the cited text.
6535 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6536 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6537 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6542 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6543 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6544 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6545 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6546 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6547 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6551 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6552 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6553 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6555 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6556 citation customization.
6558 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6562 @node Article Washing
6563 @subsection Article Washing
6565 @cindex article washing
6567 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6568 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6570 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6571 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6577 @kindex W l (Summary)
6578 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6579 Remove page breaks from the current article
6580 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6584 @kindex W r (Summary)
6585 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6586 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6587 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6588 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6589 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6590 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6592 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6593 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6594 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6595 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6598 @kindex W t (Summary)
6599 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6600 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6601 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6604 @kindex W v (Summary)
6605 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6606 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6607 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6610 @kindex W m (Summary)
6611 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6612 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6616 @kindex W o (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6618 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6621 @kindex W d (Summary)
6622 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6623 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6625 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6627 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6628 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6629 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
6630 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
6634 @kindex W w (Summary)
6635 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6636 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
6638 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6642 @kindex W q (Summary)
6643 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
6644 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
6647 @kindex W C (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentencse
6649 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
6650 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
6653 @kindex W c (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6655 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6656 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6657 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6658 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6661 @kindex W f (Summary)
6663 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6664 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6665 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6666 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6672 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6673 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6674 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6675 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6676 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6677 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6678 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6679 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6680 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6681 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6682 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6683 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6684 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6685 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6689 @kindex W b (Summary)
6690 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6691 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6692 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6695 @kindex W B (Summary)
6696 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6697 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6698 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6701 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6702 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6703 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6704 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6707 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6709 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6710 lines with a single empty line.
6711 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6714 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6715 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6716 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6717 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6720 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6721 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6722 Do all the three commands above
6723 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6726 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6727 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6728 Remove all blank lines
6729 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6732 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6733 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6734 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6735 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6738 @kindex W E e (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
6740 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
6741 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
6745 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6748 @node Article Buttons
6749 @subsection Article Buttons
6752 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6753 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6754 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6755 button on these references.
6757 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6758 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6759 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6764 @item gnus-button-alist
6765 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6766 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6769 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6775 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6776 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6777 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6780 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6781 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6782 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6785 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6786 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6787 avoid false matches.
6790 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6793 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6794 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6798 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6801 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6804 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6805 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6806 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6807 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6808 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6811 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6814 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6816 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6817 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6818 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6819 default values of the variables above.
6821 @item gnus-article-button-face
6822 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6823 Face used on buttons.
6825 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6826 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6827 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6831 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6835 @subsection Article Date
6837 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6838 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6839 when the article was sent.
6844 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6845 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6846 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6847 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6850 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6853 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6854 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6857 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6859 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6862 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6863 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6864 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6865 @findex format-time-string
6866 Display the date using a user-defined format
6867 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6868 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6869 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6870 for a list of possible format specs.
6873 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6874 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6875 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6876 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6877 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6878 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6879 updated continually, you can put
6882 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6885 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6886 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6890 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6891 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6892 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6893 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6894 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6895 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6896 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6900 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6901 preferred format automatically.
6904 @node Article Signature
6905 @subsection Article Signature
6907 @cindex article signature
6909 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6910 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6911 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6912 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6913 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6914 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6915 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6916 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6917 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6920 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6921 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6922 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6923 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6924 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6925 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6926 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6927 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6930 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6933 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6934 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6939 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6942 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6945 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6946 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6948 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6949 in question is not a signature.
6952 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6953 listed above. Here's an example:
6956 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6957 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6960 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6961 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6962 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6963 signature after all.
6967 @section MIME Commands
6968 @cindex MIME decoding
6972 @kindex M-t (Summary)
6973 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
6974 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
6975 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
6978 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6979 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6980 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6983 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6984 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6985 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6987 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6988 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6989 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6990 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6991 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6992 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
6995 @kindex W M v (Summary)
6996 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
6997 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7004 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7005 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7006 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7007 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7010 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7013 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7017 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7018 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7019 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7020 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7021 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7023 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7024 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7025 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7026 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7027 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7028 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7029 save all jpegs into some directory).
7031 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7034 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7035 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7037 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7038 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7039 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7040 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7041 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7047 @node Article Commands
7048 @section Article Commands
7055 @kindex A P (Summary)
7056 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7057 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7058 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7060 run just before printing the buffer.
7065 @node Summary Sorting
7066 @section Summary Sorting
7067 @cindex summary sorting
7069 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7070 can't really see why you'd want that.
7075 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7076 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7077 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7080 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7081 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7082 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7085 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7086 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7087 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7090 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7091 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7092 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7095 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7096 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7097 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7100 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7101 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7102 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7105 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7106 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7107 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7108 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7109 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7113 @node Finding the Parent
7114 @section Finding the Parent
7115 @cindex parent articles
7116 @cindex referring articles
7121 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7122 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7123 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7124 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7125 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7126 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7127 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7128 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7129 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7131 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7132 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7133 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7134 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7135 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7139 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7140 @kindex A R (Summary)
7141 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7142 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7145 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7146 @kindex A T (Summary)
7147 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7149 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7150 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7151 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7152 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7153 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7155 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7156 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7157 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7158 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7159 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7160 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7163 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7164 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7166 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7167 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7168 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7169 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7170 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7171 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7172 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7175 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7176 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7177 by giving this command a prefix.
7179 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7180 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7181 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7182 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7183 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7184 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7187 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7188 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7189 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7190 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7191 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7192 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7195 @node Alternative Approaches
7196 @section Alternative Approaches
7198 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7199 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7202 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7203 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7208 @subsection Pick and Read
7209 @cindex pick and read
7211 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7212 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7213 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7214 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7216 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7217 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7218 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7219 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7220 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7221 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7223 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7228 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7229 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7230 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7231 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7232 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7233 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7234 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7235 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7238 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7239 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7240 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7241 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7245 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7246 Unpick the thread or article
7247 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7248 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7249 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7250 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7251 the thread or article at that line.
7255 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7256 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7257 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7258 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7259 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7260 will still be visible when you are reading.
7264 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7265 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7266 which is mapped to the same function
7267 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7269 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7272 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7275 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7276 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7278 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7279 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7280 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7282 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7283 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7284 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7285 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7286 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7287 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7288 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7292 @subsection Binary Groups
7293 @cindex binary groups
7295 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7296 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7297 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7298 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7299 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7300 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7301 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7304 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7305 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7306 command, when you have turned on this mode
7307 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7309 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7310 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7314 @section Tree Display
7317 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7318 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7319 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7320 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7323 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7326 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7327 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7328 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7330 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7331 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7332 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7333 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7334 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7336 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7337 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7338 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7339 default is @code{modeline}.
7341 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7342 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7343 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7344 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7345 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7346 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7347 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7353 The name of the poster.
7355 The @code{From} header.
7357 The number of the article.
7359 The opening bracket.
7361 The closing bracket.
7366 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7368 Variables related to the display are:
7371 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7372 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7373 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7374 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7375 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7376 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7378 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7379 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7380 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7381 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7385 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7386 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7387 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7388 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7389 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7390 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7391 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7392 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7393 other windows displayed next to it.
7395 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7396 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7397 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7398 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7399 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7400 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7401 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7405 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7408 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7418 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7422 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7423 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7425 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7427 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7432 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7433 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7434 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7437 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7438 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7439 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7440 (gnus-add-configuration
7444 (summary 0.75 point)
7449 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7452 @node Mail Group Commands
7453 @section Mail Group Commands
7454 @cindex mail group commands
7456 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7457 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7459 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7460 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7465 @kindex B e (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7467 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7468 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7471 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7473 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7474 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7475 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7476 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7479 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7481 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7482 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7483 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7484 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7487 @kindex B m (Summary)
7489 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7490 Move the article from one mail group to another
7491 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7494 @kindex B c (Summary)
7496 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7498 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7499 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7502 @kindex B B (Summary)
7503 @cindex crosspost mail
7504 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7505 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7506 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7507 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7508 be properly updated.
7511 @kindex B i (Summary)
7512 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7513 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7514 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7515 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7518 @kindex B r (Summary)
7519 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7520 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7521 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7522 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7523 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7527 @kindex B w (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7530 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7531 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7532 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7533 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7534 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7537 @kindex B q (Summary)
7538 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7539 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7540 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7541 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7544 @kindex B t (Summary)
7545 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7546 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7547 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7550 @kindex B p (Summary)
7551 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7552 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7553 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7554 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7555 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7556 article from your news server (or rather, from
7557 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7558 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7559 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7560 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7561 just not have arrived yet.
7565 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7566 @cindex moving articles
7567 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7568 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7569 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7570 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7571 suggestions you find reasonable.
7574 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7575 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7576 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7577 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7581 @node Various Summary Stuff
7582 @section Various Summary Stuff
7585 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7586 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7587 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7588 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7592 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7593 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7594 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7596 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7597 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7598 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7599 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7600 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7601 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7604 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7605 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7606 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7607 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7608 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7610 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7611 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7612 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7615 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7616 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7617 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7618 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7619 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7620 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7621 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7622 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7623 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7624 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7629 @node Summary Group Information
7630 @subsection Summary Group Information
7635 @kindex H f (Summary)
7636 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7637 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7638 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7639 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7640 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7641 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7642 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7643 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7644 be used for fetching the file.
7647 @kindex H d (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7649 Give a brief description of the current group
7650 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7651 rereading the description from the server.
7654 @kindex H h (Summary)
7655 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7656 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7657 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7660 @kindex H i (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7662 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7666 @node Searching for Articles
7667 @subsection Searching for Articles
7672 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7673 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7674 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7675 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7678 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7679 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7680 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7681 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7685 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7686 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7687 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7688 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7692 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7693 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7694 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7695 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7698 @node Summary Generation Commands
7699 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7704 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7705 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7706 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7709 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7710 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7711 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7712 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7717 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7718 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7723 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7724 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7725 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7726 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7727 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7728 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7729 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7730 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7731 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7735 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7736 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7737 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7738 several documents into one biiig group
7739 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7740 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7741 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7742 command understands the process/prefix convention
7743 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7746 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7747 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7748 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7749 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7750 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7751 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7755 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7756 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7757 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7760 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7761 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7762 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7763 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7766 @kindex M-C-g (Summary)
7767 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
7768 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7769 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
7774 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7775 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7776 @cindex summary exit
7777 @cindex exiting groups
7779 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7780 group and return you to the group buffer.
7786 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7788 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7789 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7790 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7791 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7792 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7793 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7794 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7795 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7796 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7797 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7798 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7802 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7804 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7805 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7806 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7810 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7812 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7813 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7814 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7815 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7818 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7819 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7820 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7821 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7824 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7826 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7827 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7830 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7831 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7832 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7833 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7834 all articles, both read and unread.
7838 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7839 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7840 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7841 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7842 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7843 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7844 articles, both read and unread.
7847 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7848 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7849 Exit the group and go to the next group
7850 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7853 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7855 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7856 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7859 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7860 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7861 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7862 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7863 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7864 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7867 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7868 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7871 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7872 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7873 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7874 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7875 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7876 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7877 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7878 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7879 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7880 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7881 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7882 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7884 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7886 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7887 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7888 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7889 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7890 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7891 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7892 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7893 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7894 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7897 @node Crosspost Handling
7898 @section Crosspost Handling
7902 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7903 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7904 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7905 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7906 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7907 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7910 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7911 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7912 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7913 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7914 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7916 @cindex cross-posting
7919 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7920 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7921 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7922 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7923 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7924 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7925 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7926 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7927 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7928 the cross reference mechanism.
7930 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7931 @cindex overview.fmt
7932 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7933 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7934 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7935 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7936 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7937 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7940 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7941 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7942 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7947 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7950 @node Duplicate Suppression
7951 @section Duplicate Suppression
7953 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7954 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7955 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7956 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7961 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7962 is evil and not very common.
7965 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7966 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7969 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7970 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7973 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7976 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7977 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7979 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7980 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7981 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7982 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7983 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7984 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7985 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7988 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7989 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7990 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7991 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7992 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7996 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7997 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7998 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8000 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8001 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8002 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8003 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8004 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8005 session are suppressed.
8007 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8008 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8009 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8010 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8012 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8013 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8014 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8015 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8018 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8019 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8020 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8021 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8022 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8023 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8024 to you to figure out, I think.
8027 @node The Article Buffer
8028 @chapter The Article Buffer
8029 @cindex article buffer
8031 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8032 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8033 tell gnus otherwise.
8036 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8037 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
8038 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8039 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8040 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8044 @node Hiding Headers
8045 @section Hiding Headers
8046 @cindex hiding headers
8047 @cindex deleting headers
8049 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8050 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8052 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8053 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8054 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8055 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8056 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8057 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8058 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8059 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8060 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8062 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8066 @item gnus-visible-headers
8067 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8068 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8069 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8070 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8072 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8073 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8076 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8079 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8082 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8083 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8084 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8085 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8086 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8087 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8089 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
8090 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
8093 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8096 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8099 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8100 variable will have no effect.
8104 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8105 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8106 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8107 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8108 the headers are to be displayed.
8110 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8111 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8114 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8117 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8118 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8120 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8121 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8122 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8123 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
8124 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8125 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8126 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8129 These conditions are:
8132 Remove all empty headers.
8134 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8135 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8137 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8140 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8143 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8146 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8148 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8151 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8154 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8155 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8158 This is also the default value for this variable.
8162 @section Using @sc{mime}
8165 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8166 while people stand around yawning.
8168 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8169 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8171 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8172 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8173 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8175 @vindex gnus-show-mime
8176 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
8177 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
8178 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
8179 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
8180 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
8181 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
8182 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
8183 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
8184 existed yet, sorry).
8186 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
8187 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
8188 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
8189 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
8190 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
8191 buffer. These can't be avoided.
8193 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
8194 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
8195 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
8196 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
8197 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
8198 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
8199 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
8200 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
8201 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
8204 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8206 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
8207 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
8208 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
8209 buffer when there are nobody else.
8212 @node Customizing Articles
8213 @section Customizing Articles
8214 @cindex article customization
8216 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
8217 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
8218 called automatically when you select the articles.
8220 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
8221 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
8222 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
8223 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
8227 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
8230 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
8233 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
8236 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
8239 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
8245 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
8246 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
8247 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
8251 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
8256 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
8257 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
8258 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
8259 considered to contain just a single part.
8261 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
8262 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
8263 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
8264 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
8265 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
8266 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
8267 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
8269 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
8270 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
8274 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature
8275 @item gnus-treat-buttonize
8276 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head
8277 @item gnus-treat-emphasize
8278 @item gnus-treat-fill-article
8279 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr
8280 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers
8281 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
8282 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature
8283 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation
8284 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp
8285 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem
8286 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers
8287 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation
8288 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature
8289 @item gnus-treat-date-ut
8290 @item gnus-treat-date-local
8291 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed
8292 @item gnus-treat-date-original
8293 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
8294 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
8295 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8296 @item gnus-treat-strip-blank-lines
8297 @item gnus-treat-overstrike
8298 @item gnus-treat-display-xface
8299 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys
8300 @item gnus-treat-display-picons
8303 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
8304 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
8305 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
8306 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
8307 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
8308 everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead make
8309 them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8312 @node Article Keymap
8313 @section Article Keymap
8315 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8316 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8317 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8318 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8321 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8326 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8327 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8328 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8331 @kindex DEL (Article)
8332 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8333 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8336 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8337 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8338 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8339 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8340 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8343 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8344 @findex gnus-article-mail
8345 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8346 given a prefix, include the mail.
8350 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8351 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8352 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8356 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8357 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8358 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8361 @kindex TAB (Article)
8362 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8363 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8364 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8367 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8368 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8369 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8375 @section Misc Article
8379 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8380 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8381 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8382 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8385 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8386 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8388 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8389 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8391 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8392 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8393 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8394 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8395 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8396 the contents of the article buffer.
8398 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8399 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8400 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8402 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8403 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8404 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8405 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8407 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8408 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8409 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8410 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8411 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8416 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8417 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8420 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
8423 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8425 @item gnus-break-pages
8426 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8427 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8428 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8429 paging will not be done.
8431 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8432 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8433 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8438 @node Composing Messages
8439 @chapter Composing Messages
8440 @cindex composing messages
8443 @cindex sending mail
8448 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8449 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8450 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8451 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8452 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8453 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8454 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8457 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8458 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8459 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8460 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8461 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8462 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8463 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8464 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8467 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8468 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8474 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8477 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8478 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8479 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8480 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8482 @item gnus-add-to-list
8483 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8484 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8485 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8493 Variables for composing news articles:
8496 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8497 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8498 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8499 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8500 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8501 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8502 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8503 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8504 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8507 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8508 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8509 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8510 file. It is 1000 by default.
8515 @node Posting Server
8516 @section Posting Server
8518 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8519 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8521 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8523 @vindex gnus-post-method
8525 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8526 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8527 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8528 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8529 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8532 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8535 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8536 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8537 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8538 the ``current'' server for posting.
8540 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8541 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8543 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8544 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8547 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8548 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8549 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8554 @section Mail and Post
8556 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8560 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8561 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8562 @cindex mailing lists
8564 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8565 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8566 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8567 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8568 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8569 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8570 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8571 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8572 still a pain, though.
8576 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8577 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8578 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8581 @findex ispell-message
8583 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8587 @node Archived Messages
8588 @section Archived Messages
8589 @cindex archived messages
8590 @cindex sent messages
8592 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8593 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8594 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8595 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8598 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8599 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8600 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8604 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8605 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8606 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8607 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8610 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8611 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8612 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8613 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8616 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8617 '(nnfolder "archive"
8618 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8619 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8620 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8623 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8625 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8626 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8627 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8629 This variable can be used to do the following:
8633 Messages will be saved in that group.
8634 @item a list of strings
8635 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8636 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8637 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8639 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8644 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8646 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8649 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8651 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8654 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8656 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8657 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8658 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8659 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8664 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8665 '((if (message-news-p)
8670 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8671 messages in one file per month:
8674 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8675 '((if (message-news-p)
8677 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8678 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8681 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8682 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8684 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8685 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8686 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8687 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8688 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8689 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8690 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8691 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8692 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8693 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8695 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8696 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8697 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8698 this will disable archiving.
8701 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8702 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8703 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8704 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8705 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8708 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8709 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8710 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8713 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8714 but the latter is the preferred method.
8718 @node Posting Styles
8719 @section Posting Styles
8720 @cindex posting styles
8723 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8725 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8726 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8727 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8730 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8731 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8732 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8733 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8734 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8739 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8740 (organization "What me?"))
8742 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8743 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8744 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8747 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8748 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8749 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8750 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8751 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8752 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8753 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8754 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8756 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8757 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8758 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8759 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8760 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8761 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8764 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8765 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8766 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8767 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8768 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8769 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8772 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8773 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8774 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8776 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8777 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8778 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8779 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8781 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8782 @vindex message-this-is-news
8784 So here's a new example:
8787 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8789 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8791 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8792 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8794 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8795 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8796 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8797 (message-this-is-news
8798 (signature my-news-signature))
8799 (posting-from-work-p
8800 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8801 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8802 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8803 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8805 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8813 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8814 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8815 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8816 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8817 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8819 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8820 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8821 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8822 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8823 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8827 @vindex nndraft-directory
8828 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8829 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8830 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8831 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8832 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8833 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8835 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8836 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8839 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8840 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8841 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8842 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8843 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8844 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8845 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8846 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8847 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8848 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8849 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8850 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8851 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8852 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8854 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8855 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8856 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8858 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8860 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8861 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8862 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8864 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8867 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8868 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8869 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8870 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8871 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8872 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8873 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8876 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8877 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8878 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8881 @node Rejected Articles
8882 @section Rejected Articles
8883 @cindex rejected articles
8885 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8886 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8887 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8888 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8890 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
8891 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8892 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8893 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
8894 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8896 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8897 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8898 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8901 @node Select Methods
8902 @chapter Select Methods
8903 @cindex foreign groups
8904 @cindex select methods
8906 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8907 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8908 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8909 personal mail group.
8911 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8912 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8913 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8914 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8915 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8916 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8918 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8919 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8921 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8924 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8925 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8926 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8927 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8928 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8930 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8933 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8934 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8935 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8936 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8937 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8938 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8942 @node The Server Buffer
8943 @section The Server Buffer
8945 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8946 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8947 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8948 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8949 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8950 backend represents a virtual server.
8952 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8953 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8954 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8955 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8957 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8958 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8959 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8960 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8961 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8962 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8963 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8965 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8966 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8969 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8970 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8971 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8972 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8973 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8974 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8975 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8978 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8979 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8982 @node Server Buffer Format
8983 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8984 @cindex server buffer format
8986 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8987 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8988 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8989 variable, with some simple extensions:
8994 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8997 The name of this server.
9000 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9003 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9006 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9007 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9008 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9009 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9019 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9022 @node Server Commands
9023 @subsection Server Commands
9024 @cindex server commands
9030 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9031 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9035 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9036 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9039 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9040 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9041 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9045 @findex gnus-server-exit
9046 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9050 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9051 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9055 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9056 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9060 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9061 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9065 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9066 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9070 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9071 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9072 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9077 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9078 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9079 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9080 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9085 @node Example Methods
9086 @subsection Example Methods
9088 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9091 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9094 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9100 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9101 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9104 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9105 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
9107 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
9108 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
9112 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
9115 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
9116 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
9118 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
9119 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
9120 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
9124 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
9127 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
9130 Here's the method for a public spool:
9134 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9135 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9138 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9139 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9140 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9141 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9142 should probably look something like this:
9146 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9147 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9148 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9149 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9150 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9153 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9154 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9155 server that would look something like this:
9159 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9160 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9161 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9162 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9163 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9164 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9167 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9168 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9169 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9170 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9173 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9174 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9176 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9177 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9179 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9180 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9181 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9183 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9185 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9186 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9187 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9188 will contain the following:
9198 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9199 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9200 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9203 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9204 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9205 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9208 @node Server Variables
9209 @subsection Server Variables
9211 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9212 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9213 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9214 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9215 won't change the "derived" variables.
9217 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9218 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9219 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9220 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9221 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9222 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9223 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9224 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9225 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9229 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9230 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9231 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9235 @node Servers and Methods
9236 @subsection Servers and Methods
9238 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9239 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9240 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9241 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9245 @node Unavailable Servers
9246 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9248 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9249 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9250 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9251 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9252 actually the case or not.
9254 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9255 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9256 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9257 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9258 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9259 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9260 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9261 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9263 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9264 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9266 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9267 with the following commands:
9273 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9274 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9275 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9279 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9280 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9281 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9285 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9286 Mark the current server as unreachable
9287 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9290 @kindex M-o (Server)
9291 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9292 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9293 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9296 @kindex M-c (Server)
9297 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9298 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9299 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9303 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9304 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9305 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9311 @section Getting News
9312 @cindex reading news
9313 @cindex news backends
9315 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9316 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9317 or it can read from a local spool.
9320 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9321 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9326 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9329 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9330 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9331 server as the, uhm, address.
9333 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9334 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9335 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9336 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9338 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9339 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9340 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9342 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9347 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9348 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9349 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9351 @cindex authentification
9352 @cindex nntp authentification
9353 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9354 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9355 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9356 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9357 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9358 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9359 present in this hook.
9361 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9362 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9363 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9364 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9365 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9366 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9367 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9368 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9369 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9370 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9371 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9372 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9376 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9379 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9380 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9381 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9382 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9383 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9388 Here's an example file:
9391 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9392 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9395 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9396 have to be first, for instance.
9398 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9399 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9400 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9401 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9402 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9403 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9404 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9406 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9407 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9413 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9414 previously mentioned.
9416 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9418 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9419 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9420 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9421 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9422 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9425 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9429 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9431 The default value is
9434 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9435 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9438 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9439 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9441 @item nntp-maximum-request
9442 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9443 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9444 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9445 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9446 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9447 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9448 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9450 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9451 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9452 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9453 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9454 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9455 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9456 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9457 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9458 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9459 no timeouts are done.
9461 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9462 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9463 @c @cindex PPP connections
9464 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9465 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9466 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9467 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9468 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9469 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9470 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9471 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9472 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9473 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9475 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9476 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9477 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9478 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9481 @item nntp-server-hook
9482 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9483 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9486 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9487 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9488 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9489 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9490 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9491 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9492 functions are supplied:
9495 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9496 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9499 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9500 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9501 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9504 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9508 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9509 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9510 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9511 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9513 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9514 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9515 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9517 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9518 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9519 User name on the remote system.
9523 @item nntp-open-telnet
9524 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9525 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9527 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9530 @item nntp-telnet-command
9531 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9532 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9534 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9535 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9536 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9538 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9539 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9540 User name for log in on the remote system.
9542 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9543 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9544 Password to use when logging in.
9546 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9547 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9548 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9551 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9552 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9553 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9554 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9556 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9557 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9558 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9559 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9560 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9564 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9565 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9566 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9567 you must have SSLay installed
9568 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9569 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9570 define a server as follows:
9573 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9575 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9577 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9578 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9579 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9580 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9585 @item nntp-end-of-line
9586 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9587 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9588 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9589 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9591 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9592 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9593 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9597 @vindex nntp-address
9598 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9600 @item nntp-port-number
9601 @vindex nntp-port-number
9602 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9605 @item nntp-buggy-select
9606 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9607 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9609 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9610 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9611 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9612 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9615 @item nntp-xover-commands
9616 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9619 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9620 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9624 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9625 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9626 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9627 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9628 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9629 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9630 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9631 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9632 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9633 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9634 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9636 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9637 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9638 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9640 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9641 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9642 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9643 server closes connection.
9645 @item nntp-record-commands
9646 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9647 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9648 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9649 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9650 that doesn't seem to work.
9656 @subsection News Spool
9660 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9661 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9662 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9665 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9666 anything else) as the address.
9668 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9669 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9670 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9671 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9675 @item nnspool-inews-program
9676 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9677 Program used to post an article.
9679 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9680 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9681 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9683 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9684 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9685 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9686 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9688 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9689 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9690 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9691 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9693 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9694 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9695 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9697 @item nnspool-active-file
9698 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9699 The path to the active file.
9701 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9702 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9703 The path to the group descriptions file.
9705 @item nnspool-history-file
9706 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9707 The path to the news history file.
9709 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9710 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9711 The path to the active date file.
9713 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9714 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9715 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9718 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9719 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9721 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9722 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9723 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9729 @section Getting Mail
9730 @cindex reading mail
9733 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9737 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9738 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9739 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
9740 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9741 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9742 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9743 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9744 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9745 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9746 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9747 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9751 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9752 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9754 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9755 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9756 and things will happen automatically.
9758 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9759 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9762 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9763 '((nnml "private")))
9766 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9767 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9768 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9769 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9770 like any other group.
9772 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9775 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9776 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9777 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9781 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9782 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9783 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9786 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9787 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9788 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9791 @node Splitting Mail
9792 @subsection Splitting Mail
9793 @cindex splitting mail
9794 @cindex mail splitting
9796 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9797 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9798 to be split into groups.
9801 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9802 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9803 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9807 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9808 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9809 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9810 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9811 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9812 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9813 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9816 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9819 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9820 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9821 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9822 mail belongs in that group.
9824 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9825 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9826 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9827 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9828 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9829 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9831 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9832 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9833 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9834 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9835 thinks should carry this mail message.
9837 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9838 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9839 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9840 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9842 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9843 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9844 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9845 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9846 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9848 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9851 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9852 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9853 links. If that's the case for you, set
9854 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9855 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9857 @findex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
9858 Header lines may be arbitrarily long. However, the longer a line is,
9859 the longer it takes to match them. Very long lines may lead to Gnus
9860 taking forever to split the mail, so Gnus excludes lines that are longer
9861 than @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} (which defaults to 1024).
9863 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9864 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9865 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9866 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9868 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9869 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9870 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9871 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9872 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9873 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9874 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9875 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9880 @subsection Mail Sources
9882 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
9883 POP mail server, or from a procmail directory, for instance.
9886 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
9887 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
9888 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
9892 @node Mail Source Specifiers
9893 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
9900 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by creating a @dfn{mail source
9906 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
9909 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
9910 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
9911 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
9914 The following mail source types are available:
9918 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
9924 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
9925 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
9928 An example file mail source:
9931 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
9934 Or using the default path:
9941 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
9942 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
9948 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
9952 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
9956 An example directory mail source:
9959 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
9964 Get mail from a POP server.
9970 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
9971 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
9974 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
9977 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
9981 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
9985 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server.
9988 The arguments to give to the program. If this is a string, it is used
9989 as such. If this is a list, it is @code{eval}ed first, and the result
9993 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
9994 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
9998 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
9999 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
10001 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
10002 default user name, and default fetcher:
10008 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
10011 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
10012 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10015 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
10018 (pop :program "movemail"
10019 :args (format "po:%s %s %s" user mail-source-crash-box password))
10025 @node Mail Source Customization
10026 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
10028 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
10029 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
10033 @item mail-source-movemail-program
10034 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
10035 A command to be executed to move mail from the inbox. The default is
10038 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be
10039 called with two parameters -- the name of the INBOX file, and the file
10042 @item mail-source-movemail-args
10043 @vindex mail-source-movemail-args
10044 Extra arguments to give to the command described above.
10046 @item mail-source-crash-box
10047 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
10048 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
10049 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
10051 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
10052 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
10053 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
10055 @item mail-source-directory
10056 @vindex mail-source-directory
10057 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
10058 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
10059 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
10062 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
10063 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
10064 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
10069 @node Fetching Mail
10070 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
10072 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
10073 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to a list of mail source specifiers
10074 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
10076 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to
10077 fetch mail by themselves.
10079 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
10080 mail server, you'd say something like:
10083 (setq mail-spool-file
10085 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10086 :password "secret")))
10089 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
10092 (setq mail-spool-file
10093 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
10094 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10097 :password "secret")))
10101 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
10102 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
10103 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
10104 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
10105 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
10106 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
10110 @node Mail Backend Variables
10111 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
10113 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
10117 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10118 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10119 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
10120 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
10122 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
10123 @item nnmail-split-hook
10124 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
10125 @findex RFC1522 decoding
10126 @findex RFC2047 decoding
10127 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
10128 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
10129 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
10130 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
10131 in the buffer will show up in any files.
10132 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
10135 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10136 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10137 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10138 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10139 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
10140 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
10141 starting to handle the new mail) and
10142 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
10143 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
10144 default file modes the new mail files get:
10147 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10148 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
10150 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
10151 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
10154 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
10155 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
10156 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
10157 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
10158 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
10159 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
10160 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
10162 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
10163 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
10164 @findex delete-file
10165 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
10167 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10168 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10169 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
10170 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
10171 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
10176 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
10177 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
10178 @cindex mail splitting
10179 @cindex fancy mail splitting
10181 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
10182 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
10183 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
10184 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
10185 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
10186 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
10188 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
10191 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
10192 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
10193 ;; from real errors.
10194 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
10196 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
10197 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
10198 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
10199 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
10200 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
10201 ;; Other mailing lists...
10202 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
10203 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
10205 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
10206 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
10210 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
10211 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
10212 the five possible split syntaxes:
10217 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
10218 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
10222 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
10223 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
10224 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
10227 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10228 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
10229 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
10230 be stored in one or more groups.
10233 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10234 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
10237 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
10238 this message. Use with extreme caution.
10241 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
10242 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
10243 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
10247 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
10251 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
10252 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
10253 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
10254 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
10255 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
10257 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
10258 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
10259 are expanded as specified by the variable
10260 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
10261 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
10264 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
10265 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
10266 when all this splitting is performed.
10268 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
10269 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
10270 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
10273 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
10276 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
10277 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
10278 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
10279 groupings 1 through 9.
10282 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10283 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10285 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10286 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10287 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10290 Doing so can be quite easy.
10292 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10293 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10294 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10295 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10296 your @code{nnml} groups.
10302 Go to the group buffer.
10305 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10306 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10309 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10312 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10313 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10316 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10317 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10320 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10321 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10322 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10323 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10324 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10326 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10327 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10328 using the new mail backend.
10331 @node Expiring Mail
10332 @subsection Expiring Mail
10333 @cindex article expiry
10335 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10336 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10337 different approach to mail reading.
10339 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10340 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10341 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10342 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10343 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10344 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10347 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10348 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10349 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10350 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10351 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10352 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10353 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10354 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10356 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10357 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10358 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10359 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10360 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10361 column in the summary buffer.
10363 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10364 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10365 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10366 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10369 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10371 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10372 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10373 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10376 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10377 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10378 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10379 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10380 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10382 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10383 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10386 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10387 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10390 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10391 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10393 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10394 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10395 don't really mix very well.
10397 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10398 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10399 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10400 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10403 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10404 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10405 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10406 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10409 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10411 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10413 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10415 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10417 ((string= group "important")
10423 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10424 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10426 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10427 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10428 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10431 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10432 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10434 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10435 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10436 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10437 easier for procmail users.
10439 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10440 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10441 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10442 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10443 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10444 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10445 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10446 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10447 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10448 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10449 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10450 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10451 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10454 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10456 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
10457 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
10458 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
10459 auto-expire turned on.
10463 @subsection Washing Mail
10464 @cindex mail washing
10465 @cindex list server brain damage
10466 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10468 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10469 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10470 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10471 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10472 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10473 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10475 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10476 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10477 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10480 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10481 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10482 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10483 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10486 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10487 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10488 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10489 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10490 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10493 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10494 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10495 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10496 Emacs running on MS machines.
10500 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10501 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10502 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10503 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10506 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10507 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10508 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10509 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10511 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10512 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10513 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10514 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10515 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10516 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10517 also be a list of regexp.
10519 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10520 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10523 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10524 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10527 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10528 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10529 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10531 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10532 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10534 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
10535 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
10536 @code{References} headers.
10540 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10541 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10542 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10546 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10547 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10548 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10555 @subsection Duplicates
10557 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10558 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10559 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10560 @cindex duplicate mails
10561 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10562 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10563 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10564 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10565 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10566 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10567 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10568 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10569 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10570 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10571 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10572 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10573 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10575 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10576 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10577 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10578 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10580 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10583 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10584 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10588 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10589 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10590 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10591 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10592 (any mail "mail.misc")
10599 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10600 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10605 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10606 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10607 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10608 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10609 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10612 @node Not Reading Mail
10613 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10615 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10616 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10617 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10619 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10620 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10622 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10623 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10624 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10625 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10626 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10627 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10628 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10629 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10630 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10631 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10632 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10634 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10635 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10639 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10640 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10642 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10643 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10644 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10647 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10648 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10649 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10650 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10651 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10655 @node Unix Mail Box
10656 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10658 @cindex unix mail box
10660 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10661 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10662 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10663 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10664 which group it belongs in.
10666 Virtual server settings:
10669 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10670 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10671 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10673 @item nnmbox-active-file
10674 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10675 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10677 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10678 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10679 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10685 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10689 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10690 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10691 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10692 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10693 article to say which group it belongs in.
10695 Virtual server settings:
10698 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10699 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10700 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10702 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10703 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10704 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10706 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10707 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10708 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10713 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10715 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10717 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10718 format. It should be used with some caution.
10720 @vindex nnml-directory
10721 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10722 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10723 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10724 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10726 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10729 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10730 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10731 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10732 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10733 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10734 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10735 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10736 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10738 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10739 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10740 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10741 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10743 Virtual server settings:
10746 @item nnml-directory
10747 @vindex nnml-directory
10748 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10750 @item nnml-active-file
10751 @vindex nnml-active-file
10752 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10754 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10755 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10756 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10759 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10760 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10761 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10763 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10764 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10765 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10767 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10768 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10769 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10771 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10772 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10773 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10777 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10778 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10779 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10780 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10781 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10782 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10783 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10788 @subsubsection MH Spool
10790 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10792 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10793 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10794 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10795 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10797 Virtual server settings:
10800 @item nnmh-directory
10801 @vindex nnmh-directory
10802 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10804 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10805 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10806 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10809 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10810 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10811 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10812 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10813 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10814 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10815 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10820 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10822 @cindex mbox folders
10823 @cindex mail folders
10825 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10826 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10827 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10830 Virtual server settings:
10833 @item nnfolder-directory
10834 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10835 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10837 @item nnfolder-active-file
10838 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10839 The name of the active file.
10841 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10842 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10843 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10845 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10846 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10847 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10849 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10850 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10851 @cindex backup files
10852 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10853 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10854 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10855 your @file{.emacs} file:
10858 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10859 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10861 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10864 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10865 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10866 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10867 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10868 extract some information from it before removing it.
10873 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10874 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10875 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10876 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10877 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10878 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10881 @node Other Sources
10882 @section Other Sources
10884 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10885 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10889 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10890 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10891 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10892 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10893 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10894 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10898 @node Directory Groups
10899 @subsection Directory Groups
10901 @cindex directory groups
10903 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10904 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10907 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10908 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10909 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10910 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10912 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10913 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10914 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10915 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10916 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10918 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10920 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10921 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10922 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10923 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10926 @node Anything Groups
10927 @subsection Anything Groups
10930 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10931 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10932 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10935 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10936 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10937 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10938 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10939 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10940 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10941 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10942 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10943 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10944 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10947 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10948 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10949 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10950 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10952 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10953 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10954 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10955 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10957 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10958 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10959 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10960 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10961 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10962 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10963 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10964 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10969 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10970 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10971 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10972 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10974 @item nneething-exclude-files
10975 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10976 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10977 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10979 @item nneething-include-files
10980 @vindex nneething-include-files
10981 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
10982 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
10984 @item nneething-map-file
10985 @vindex nneething-map-file
10986 Name of the map files.
10990 @node Document Groups
10991 @subsection Document Groups
10993 @cindex documentation group
10996 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10997 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
11004 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
11009 The standard Unix mbox file.
11011 @cindex MMDF mail box
11013 The MMDF mail box format.
11016 Several news articles appended into a file.
11019 @cindex rnews batch files
11020 The rnews batch transport format.
11021 @cindex forwarded messages
11024 Forwarded articles.
11027 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
11031 @cindex MIME digest
11032 @cindex 1153 digest
11033 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
11034 @cindex RFC 341 digest
11035 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
11037 @item standard-digest
11038 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
11041 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
11044 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
11045 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
11046 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
11049 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
11050 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
11051 group. And that's it.
11053 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
11054 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
11055 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
11056 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
11057 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
11058 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
11059 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
11060 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
11061 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
11062 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
11064 Virtual server variables:
11067 @item nndoc-article-type
11068 @vindex nndoc-article-type
11069 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
11070 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
11071 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
11072 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
11075 @item nndoc-post-type
11076 @vindex nndoc-post-type
11077 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
11078 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
11083 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
11087 @node Document Server Internals
11088 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
11090 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
11091 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
11092 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
11093 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
11095 First, here's an example document type definition:
11099 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
11100 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
11103 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
11104 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
11105 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
11106 types can be defined with very few settings:
11109 @item first-article
11110 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
11111 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
11114 @item article-begin
11115 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
11116 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
11118 @item head-begin-function
11119 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
11122 @item nndoc-head-begin
11123 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
11126 @item nndoc-head-end
11127 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
11128 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
11130 @item body-begin-function
11131 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
11135 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
11138 @item body-end-function
11139 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
11143 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
11146 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
11147 regexp will be totally ignored.
11151 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
11152 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
11153 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
11154 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
11155 something that's palatable for Gnus:
11158 @item prepare-body-function
11159 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
11160 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
11161 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
11163 @item article-transform-function
11164 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
11165 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
11166 body of the article.
11168 @item generate-head-function
11169 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
11170 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
11171 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
11172 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
11176 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
11181 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11182 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11183 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
11184 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
11185 (head-end . "^ ?$")
11186 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
11187 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
11188 (subtype digest guess))
11191 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
11192 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
11193 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
11194 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
11195 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
11197 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
11198 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
11199 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
11200 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
11201 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
11202 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
11203 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
11204 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
11205 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
11206 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
11214 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
11215 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
11216 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
11218 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
11219 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
11220 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
11223 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
11224 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
11225 that interested in doing things properly.
11227 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
11228 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
11231 First some terminology:
11236 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
11237 get news and/or mail from.
11240 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
11241 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
11244 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
11248 @item message packets
11249 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
11250 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
11251 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11253 @item response packets
11254 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
11255 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
11256 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11266 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
11267 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
11268 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
11269 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11272 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11275 You put the packet in your home directory.
11278 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11279 the native or secondary server.
11282 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11283 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11286 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11290 You transfer this packet to the server.
11293 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11296 You then repeat until you die.
11300 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11301 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11304 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11305 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11306 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11310 @node SOUP Commands
11311 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11313 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11317 @kindex G s b (Group)
11318 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11319 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11320 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11321 process/prefix convention.
11324 @kindex G s w (Group)
11325 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11326 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11329 @kindex G s s (Group)
11330 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11331 Send all replies from the replies packet
11332 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11335 @kindex G s p (Group)
11336 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11337 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11340 @kindex G s r (Group)
11341 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11342 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11345 @kindex O s (Summary)
11346 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11347 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11348 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11349 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11354 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11359 @item gnus-soup-directory
11360 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11361 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11362 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11364 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11365 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11366 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11367 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11369 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11370 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11371 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11372 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11374 @item gnus-soup-packer
11375 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11376 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11377 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11379 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11380 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11381 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11382 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11384 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11385 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11386 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11388 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11389 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11390 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11391 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11397 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11400 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11401 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11402 you can read them at leisure.
11404 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11408 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11409 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11410 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11411 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11413 @item nnsoup-directory
11414 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11415 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11416 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11418 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11419 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11420 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11421 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11423 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11424 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11425 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11426 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11427 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11429 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11430 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11431 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11432 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11434 @item nnsoup-active-file
11435 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11436 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11437 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11438 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11439 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11441 @item nnsoup-packer
11442 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11443 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11444 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11446 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11447 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11448 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11449 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11451 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11452 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11453 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11456 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11457 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11458 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11461 @item nnsoup-always-save
11462 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11463 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11469 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11471 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11472 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11473 more for that to happen.
11475 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11476 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11477 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11480 In specific, this is what it does:
11483 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11484 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11487 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11488 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11489 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11493 @subsection Web Searches
11497 @cindex InReference
11498 @cindex Usenet searches
11499 @cindex searching the Usenet
11501 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11502 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11503 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11504 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11505 searches without having to use a browser.
11507 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11508 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11509 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11510 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11511 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11513 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11514 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11515 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11516 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11517 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11518 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11519 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11520 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11521 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11522 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11525 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11526 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11527 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'
\e$BsU
\e(Bre} is to
11528 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11529 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11530 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11532 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11533 to use @code{nnweb}.
11535 Virtual server variables:
11540 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11541 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11545 @vindex nnweb-search
11546 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11548 @item nnweb-max-hits
11549 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11550 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11553 @item nnweb-type-definition
11554 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11555 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11556 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11561 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11565 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11568 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11571 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11575 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11582 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11583 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11584 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11587 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11588 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11589 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11591 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11597 @item nngateway-address
11598 @vindex nngateway-address
11599 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11601 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11602 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11603 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11604 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11605 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11606 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11607 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11610 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11611 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11612 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11615 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11618 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11621 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11624 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11626 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11629 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11630 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11631 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11633 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11635 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11636 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11637 @code{nngateway-address}.
11642 (setq gnus-post-method
11643 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11644 (nngateway-header-transformation
11645 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11653 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11656 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11660 @node Combined Groups
11661 @section Combined Groups
11663 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11667 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11668 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11672 @node Virtual Groups
11673 @subsection Virtual Groups
11675 @cindex virtual groups
11676 @cindex merging groups
11678 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11681 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11682 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11683 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11685 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11686 regexp to match component groups.
11688 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11689 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11690 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11691 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11692 the virtual group.)
11694 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11695 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11698 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11701 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11702 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11704 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11705 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11706 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11707 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11710 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11713 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11714 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11715 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11717 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11718 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11719 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11720 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11721 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11723 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11724 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11725 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11727 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11728 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11729 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11730 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11731 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11732 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11733 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11734 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11735 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11736 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11737 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11739 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11740 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11741 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11742 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11743 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11744 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11745 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11747 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11748 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11752 @node Kibozed Groups
11753 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11757 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11758 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11759 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11760 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11762 @kindex G k (Group)
11763 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11766 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11767 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11768 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11769 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11771 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11772 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11773 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11775 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11776 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11777 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11778 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11779 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11780 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11781 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11782 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11784 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11785 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11786 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11787 Stranger things have happened.
11789 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11790 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11792 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11793 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11794 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11795 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11796 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11797 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11799 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11800 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11803 @node Gnus Unplugged
11804 @section Gnus Unplugged
11809 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11811 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11812 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11813 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11814 read news. Believe it or not.
11816 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11817 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11818 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11819 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11820 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11822 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11823 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11824 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11825 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11826 reading news on a machine.
11828 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11832 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11833 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11837 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11838 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11845 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11847 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11850 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11851 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11852 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11853 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11854 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11855 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11856 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11857 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11858 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
11863 @subsection Agent Basics
11865 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11867 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11868 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11869 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11870 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11872 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11873 connected to the net continuously.
11875 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11876 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11878 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11883 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11884 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11885 already fetched while in this mode.
11888 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11889 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11890 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11893 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11894 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11895 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11896 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11899 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11900 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11901 then you read the news offline.
11904 And then you go to step 2.
11907 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11913 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11914 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11915 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11916 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11917 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11918 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11921 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
11928 @node Agent Categories
11929 @subsection Agent Categories
11931 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11932 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11933 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11934 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11935 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11936 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11937 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11939 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11940 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11941 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11944 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11945 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11946 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11950 @node Category Syntax
11951 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11953 A category consists of two things.
11957 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11958 are eligible for downloading; and
11961 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11962 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11963 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
11966 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
11967 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
11968 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
11969 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
11971 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
11972 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
11973 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
11975 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
11976 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
11977 operators sprinkled in between.
11979 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11981 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11982 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11988 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11989 short (for some value of ``short'').
11991 Here's a more complex predicate:
12000 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
12001 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
12004 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
12005 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
12006 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
12008 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
12009 you want to do, you can write your own.
12013 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
12014 lines; default 100.
12017 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
12018 lines; default 200.
12021 True iff the article has a download score less than
12022 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
12025 True iff the article has a download score greater than
12026 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
12029 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
12030 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
12031 checksum and sees whether articles match.
12040 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
12041 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
12042 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
12045 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
12046 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
12047 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
12048 something along the lines of the following:
12051 (defun my-article-old-p ()
12052 "Say whether an article is old."
12053 (< (time-to-day (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
12054 (- (time-to-day (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
12057 with the predicate then defined as:
12060 (not my-article-old-p)
12063 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
12064 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
12065 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
12066 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
12069 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
12070 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
12071 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
12074 and simply specify your predicate as:
12080 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
12081 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
12082 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
12083 just don't give a damm.
12086 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
12087 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
12088 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
12089 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
12090 parameters like so:
12093 (agent-predicate . short)
12096 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
12097 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
12098 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
12101 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
12104 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
12107 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
12108 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
12109 predicate is assumed to be a list.
12112 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
12113 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
12114 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
12115 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
12116 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
12117 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
12119 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
12120 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
12121 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
12122 if it's to be specific to that group.
12124 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
12131 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
12132 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
12138 Category specification
12142 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12148 Group Parameter specification
12151 (agent-score ("from"
12152 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12157 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
12163 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
12170 Category specification
12173 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
12179 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
12183 Group Parameter specification
12186 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
12189 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
12194 Use @code{normal} score files
12196 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
12197 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
12198 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
12199 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
12201 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
12202 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
12203 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
12204 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
12208 Category Specification
12215 Group Parameter specification
12218 (agent-score . file)
12223 @node The Category Buffer
12224 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
12226 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
12227 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
12228 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
12230 The following commands are available in this buffer:
12234 @kindex q (Category)
12235 @findex gnus-category-exit
12236 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
12239 @kindex k (Category)
12240 @findex gnus-category-kill
12241 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
12244 @kindex c (Category)
12245 @findex gnus-category-copy
12246 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
12249 @kindex a (Category)
12250 @findex gnus-category-add
12251 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
12254 @kindex p (Category)
12255 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
12256 Edit the predicate of the current category
12257 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
12260 @kindex g (Category)
12261 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
12262 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
12263 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
12266 @kindex s (Category)
12267 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
12268 Edit the download score rule of the current category
12269 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12272 @kindex l (Category)
12273 @findex gnus-category-list
12274 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12278 @node Category Variables
12279 @subsubsection Category Variables
12282 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12283 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12284 Hook run in category buffers.
12286 @item gnus-category-line-format
12287 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12288 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12289 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12293 The name of the category.
12296 The number of groups in the category.
12299 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12300 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12301 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12303 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12304 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12305 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12307 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12308 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12309 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12311 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12312 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12313 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12316 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12317 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12318 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12324 @node Agent Commands
12325 @subsection Agent Commands
12327 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12328 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12329 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12333 * Group Agent Commands::
12334 * Summary Agent Commands::
12335 * Server Agent Commands::
12338 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12339 following incantation:
12341 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12343 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12348 @node Group Agent Commands
12349 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12353 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12354 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12355 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12356 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12359 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12360 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12361 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12364 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12365 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12366 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12367 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12370 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12371 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12372 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12373 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12376 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12377 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12378 Add the current group to an Agent category
12379 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
12380 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12383 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
12384 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
12385 Remove the current group from its category, if any
12386 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
12387 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12392 @node Summary Agent Commands
12393 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12397 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12398 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12399 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12402 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12403 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12404 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12405 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12408 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12409 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12410 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12413 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12414 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12415 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12420 @node Server Agent Commands
12421 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12425 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12426 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12427 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12428 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12431 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12432 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12433 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12434 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12440 @subsection Agent Expiry
12442 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12443 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12444 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12445 @cindex Agent expiry
12446 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12449 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12450 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12451 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12452 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12453 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12454 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12456 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12457 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12458 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12459 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12460 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12463 @node Outgoing Messages
12464 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12466 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12467 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12468 after posting, and edit them at will.
12470 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12471 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12472 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12473 messages in the draft group.
12477 @node Agent Variables
12478 @subsection Agent Variables
12481 @item gnus-agent-directory
12482 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12483 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12484 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12486 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12487 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12488 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12489 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12490 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12493 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12494 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12495 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12497 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12498 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12499 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12504 @node Example Setup
12505 @subsection Example Setup
12507 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12508 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12509 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12512 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12513 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12514 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
12516 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12517 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12518 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
12519 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
12521 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12522 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12524 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12528 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12529 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12532 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12533 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12534 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12535 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12536 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12539 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12540 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12541 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12542 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12543 back all the killed groups.)
12545 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12546 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12547 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12550 @node Batching Agents
12551 @subsection Batching Agents
12553 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12554 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12555 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12559 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12563 @node Agent Caveats
12564 @subsection Agent Caveats
12566 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
12567 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
12571 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
12576 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
12577 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
12583 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
12584 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
12591 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
12592 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
12593 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
12596 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
12597 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
12598 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
12599 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
12600 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
12602 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
12603 before generating the summary buffer.
12605 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
12606 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12607 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12609 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12610 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12611 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12612 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12615 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12616 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12617 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12618 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12619 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12620 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12621 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12622 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12623 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12624 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12625 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12626 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12627 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12628 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12629 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12630 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12634 @node Summary Score Commands
12635 @section Summary Score Commands
12636 @cindex score commands
12638 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12639 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12640 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12641 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12642 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12644 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12645 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12646 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12647 score file the current one.
12649 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12654 @kindex V s (Summary)
12655 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12656 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12659 @kindex V S (Summary)
12660 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12661 Display the score of the current article
12662 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12665 @kindex V t (Summary)
12666 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12667 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12668 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12671 @kindex V R (Summary)
12672 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12673 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12674 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12675 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12676 effect you're having.
12679 @kindex V c (Summary)
12680 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12681 Make a different score file the current
12682 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12685 @kindex V e (Summary)
12686 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12687 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12688 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12692 @kindex V f (Summary)
12693 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12694 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12695 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12698 @kindex V F (Summary)
12699 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12700 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12701 after editing score files.
12704 @kindex V C (Summary)
12705 @findex gnus-score-customize
12706 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12707 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12711 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12716 @kindex V m (Summary)
12717 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12718 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12719 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12722 @kindex V x (Summary)
12723 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12724 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12725 expunge all articles below this score
12726 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12729 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12730 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12733 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12734 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12738 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12739 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12741 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12742 keys are available:
12746 Score on the author name.
12749 Score on the subject line.
12752 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12755 Score on the References line.
12761 Score on the number of lines.
12764 Score on the Message-ID.
12767 Score on followups.
12781 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12782 what headers you are scoring on.
12794 Substring matching.
12797 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12826 Greater than number.
12831 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12832 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12833 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12837 Temporary score entry.
12840 Permanent score entry.
12843 Immediately scoring.
12848 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12849 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12850 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12851 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12853 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12854 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12855 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12856 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12857 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12859 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12860 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12861 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12862 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12863 current score file.
12865 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12866 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12867 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12870 @node Group Score Commands
12871 @section Group Score Commands
12872 @cindex group score commands
12874 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12879 @kindex W f (Group)
12880 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12881 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12882 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12883 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12887 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12889 @findex gnus-batch-score
12890 @cindex batch scoring
12892 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
12896 @node Score Variables
12897 @section Score Variables
12898 @cindex score variables
12902 @item gnus-use-scoring
12903 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12904 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12905 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12907 @item gnus-kill-killed
12908 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12909 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12910 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12911 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12912 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12913 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12914 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12916 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12917 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12918 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12919 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12920 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12922 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12923 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12924 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12925 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12927 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12928 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12929 @cindex score cache
12930 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12931 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12932 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
12933 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12934 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12935 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12938 @item gnus-save-score
12939 @vindex gnus-save-score
12940 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12941 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12942 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12944 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12945 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12946 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12947 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12948 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12949 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12950 manually entered data.
12952 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12953 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12954 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12956 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12957 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12958 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12959 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12960 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12961 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12963 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12964 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12965 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12966 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12968 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12969 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12970 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12971 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12973 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12974 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12975 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12976 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12978 Predefined functions available are:
12981 @item gnus-score-find-single
12982 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12983 Only apply the group's own score file.
12985 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12986 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12987 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12988 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12989 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12990 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12991 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12992 then a regexp match is done.
12994 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12995 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12997 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12998 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12999 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
13000 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
13002 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13003 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13004 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
13005 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
13006 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
13009 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
13010 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
13011 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
13012 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
13013 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
13014 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
13017 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
13018 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
13019 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
13020 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
13021 are expired. It's 7 by default.
13023 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13024 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13025 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
13026 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
13027 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
13028 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
13029 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
13032 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13033 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13034 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
13036 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
13037 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
13038 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
13039 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
13040 threading---according to the current value of
13041 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
13042 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
13043 simplified in this manner.
13048 @node Score File Format
13049 @section Score File Format
13050 @cindex score file format
13052 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
13053 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
13054 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
13056 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
13060 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
13062 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
13064 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
13066 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
13071 (mark-and-expunge -10)
13075 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
13076 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
13077 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
13078 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
13082 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
13083 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
13085 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
13086 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
13087 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
13089 Six keys are supported by this alist:
13094 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
13095 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
13096 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
13097 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
13098 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
13099 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
13100 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
13101 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
13102 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
13103 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
13104 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
13105 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
13106 to articles that matches these score entries.
13108 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
13109 score entry has one to four elements.
13113 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
13114 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
13118 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
13119 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
13120 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
13121 is successful. If this element is not present, the
13122 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
13123 instead. This is 1000 by default.
13126 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
13127 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
13128 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
13129 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
13130 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
13133 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
13134 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
13135 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
13136 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
13139 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
13140 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
13141 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
13142 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
13143 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
13144 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
13145 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
13146 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
13147 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
13148 instead, if you feel like.
13151 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
13152 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
13154 These predicates are true if
13157 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
13160 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
13161 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
13168 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
13169 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
13170 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
13171 it's not. I think.)
13173 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
13174 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
13175 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
13176 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
13179 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
13180 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
13181 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
13182 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
13183 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
13184 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
13185 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
13189 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
13190 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
13191 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
13192 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
13193 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
13194 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
13195 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
13196 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
13199 @item Head, Body, All
13200 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
13204 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
13205 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
13206 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
13207 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
13208 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
13209 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
13210 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
13214 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
13215 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
13216 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
13217 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
13218 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
13219 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
13220 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
13221 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
13222 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
13223 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
13227 @cindex Score File Atoms
13229 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13230 lower than this number will be marked as read.
13233 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13234 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
13236 @item mark-and-expunge
13237 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13238 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
13241 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
13242 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
13243 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
13244 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
13245 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
13248 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
13249 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
13252 @item exclude-files
13253 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
13254 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
13258 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
13259 ignored when handling global score files.
13262 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
13263 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
13264 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
13265 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
13268 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
13269 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
13270 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
13271 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
13273 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
13277 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13280 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13281 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13282 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13283 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13284 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13286 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13287 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13288 ordinary scoring rules.
13291 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13292 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13293 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13294 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13295 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13296 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13297 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13298 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13299 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13300 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13301 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13305 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13306 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13307 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13308 file for a number of groups.
13311 @cindex local variables
13312 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13313 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13314 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13315 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13316 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13320 @node Score File Editing
13321 @section Score File Editing
13323 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13324 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13325 with a mode for that.
13327 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13328 additional commands:
13333 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13334 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13335 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13336 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13339 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13340 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13341 Insert the current date in numerical format
13342 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13343 you were wondering.
13346 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13347 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13348 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13349 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13350 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13355 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13357 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13358 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13360 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13361 e} to begin editing score files.
13364 @node Adaptive Scoring
13365 @section Adaptive Scoring
13366 @cindex adaptive scoring
13368 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13369 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13370 stupidity, to be precise.
13372 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13373 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13374 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13375 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13376 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13377 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13378 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13379 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13380 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13382 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13383 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13384 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13385 might look something like this:
13388 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13389 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13390 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13391 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13392 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13393 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13394 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13395 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13396 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13397 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13398 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13399 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13402 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13403 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13404 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13405 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13406 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13407 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13410 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13411 will be applied to each article.
13413 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13414 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13415 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13416 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13418 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13419 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13420 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13421 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13423 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13424 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13425 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13426 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13428 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13429 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13430 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13431 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13432 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13433 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13435 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13436 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13437 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13438 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13439 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13440 aspirins afterwards.)
13442 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13443 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13444 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13446 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13447 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13448 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13450 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13451 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13452 let you use different rules in different groups.
13454 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13455 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13456 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13459 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13460 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13461 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13462 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13463 the length of the match is less than
13464 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13465 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13468 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13469 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13470 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13471 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13472 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13475 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13476 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13477 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13478 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13479 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13482 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13483 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13484 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13485 score with 30 points.
13487 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13488 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13489 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13490 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13491 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13493 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13494 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13495 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13496 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13498 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13499 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13500 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13501 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13503 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13504 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13505 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13506 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13507 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13509 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13510 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13511 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13513 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13514 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13515 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13516 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13519 @node Home Score File
13520 @section Home Score File
13522 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13523 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13524 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13525 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13527 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13528 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13529 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13531 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13532 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13537 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13541 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13542 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13546 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13550 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13551 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13554 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13555 the home score file.
13558 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13561 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
13566 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
13569 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13570 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
13573 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
13574 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
13576 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
13578 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13579 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
13582 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
13583 Other functions include
13586 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
13587 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
13588 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
13589 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
13593 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
13594 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
13595 their own home score files:
13598 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13599 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
13600 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
13601 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
13602 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
13605 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
13606 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
13607 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
13608 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
13609 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
13611 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
13612 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13613 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13614 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13615 precedence over this variable.
13618 @node Followups To Yourself
13619 @section Followups To Yourself
13621 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13622 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13623 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13624 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13625 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13626 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13630 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13631 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13632 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13635 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13636 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13637 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13641 @vindex message-sent-hook
13642 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13643 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13645 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13646 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13650 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13651 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13654 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13655 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13660 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13664 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13665 is system-dependent.
13669 @section Scoring Tips
13670 @cindex scoring tips
13676 @cindex scoring crossposts
13677 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13678 the @code{Xref} header.
13680 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13683 @item Multiple crossposts
13684 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13685 more than, say, 3 groups:
13687 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13690 @item Matching on the body
13691 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13692 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13693 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13694 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13695 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13696 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13697 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13700 @item Marking as read
13701 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13702 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13703 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13707 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13709 @item Negated character classes
13710 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13711 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13712 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13716 @node Reverse Scoring
13717 @section Reverse Scoring
13718 @cindex reverse scoring
13720 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13721 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13722 like this in your score file:
13726 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13731 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13732 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13735 @node Global Score Files
13736 @section Global Score Files
13737 @cindex global score files
13739 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13740 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13741 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13743 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13744 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13745 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13747 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13748 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13749 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13750 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13751 files are applicable to which group.
13753 Say you want to use the score file
13754 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13755 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13758 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13759 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13760 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13763 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13764 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13765 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13766 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13767 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13769 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13770 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13772 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13773 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13774 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13775 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13776 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13777 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13779 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13785 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13787 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13789 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13791 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13792 lowered out of existence.
13794 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13795 articles completely.
13798 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13799 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13800 old articles for a long time.
13803 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13804 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13805 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13806 holding our breath yet?
13810 @section Kill Files
13813 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13814 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13815 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13817 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13818 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13819 files into score files.
13821 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13822 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13823 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13824 that isn't a very good idea.
13826 Normal kill files look like this:
13829 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13830 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13834 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13835 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13837 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13838 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13841 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13846 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13847 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13848 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13851 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13852 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13853 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13856 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13861 @kindex M-k (Group)
13862 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13863 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13866 @kindex M-K (Group)
13867 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13868 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13871 Kill file variables:
13874 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13875 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13876 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13877 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13878 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13879 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13880 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13882 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13883 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13884 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13885 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13888 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13889 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13890 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13891 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13892 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13893 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13894 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13895 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13896 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13898 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13899 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13900 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13905 @node Converting Kill Files
13906 @section Converting Kill Files
13908 @cindex converting kill files
13910 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13911 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13912 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13915 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13916 You can fetch it from
13917 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13919 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13920 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13921 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13929 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13930 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13931 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13933 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13934 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13935 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13936 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13937 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13938 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13939 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13940 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13944 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13945 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13946 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13947 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13951 @node Using GroupLens
13952 @subsection Using GroupLens
13954 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13956 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13957 better bit in town at the moment.
13959 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13963 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13964 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13965 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13966 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13968 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13969 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13970 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13971 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13973 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13974 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13975 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13979 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13980 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13981 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13982 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13983 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13984 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13987 @node Rating Articles
13988 @subsection Rating Articles
13990 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13991 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13992 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13993 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13996 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
14001 @kindex r (GroupLens)
14002 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
14003 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
14006 @kindex k (GroupLens)
14007 @findex grouplens-score-thread
14008 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
14009 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
14010 threads in rec.humor.
14014 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
14015 the score of the article you're reading.
14020 @kindex n (GroupLens)
14021 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
14022 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
14025 @kindex , (GroupLens)
14026 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
14027 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
14031 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
14032 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
14035 @node Displaying Predictions
14036 @subsection Displaying Predictions
14038 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
14039 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
14040 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
14041 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
14042 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
14044 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
14045 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
14046 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
14047 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
14048 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
14049 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
14050 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
14051 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
14052 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
14053 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
14054 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
14055 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
14056 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
14058 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
14059 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
14060 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
14061 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
14063 The following are valid values for that variable.
14066 @item prediction-spot
14067 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
14070 @item confidence-interval
14071 A numeric confidence interval.
14073 @item prediction-bar
14074 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
14076 @item confidence-bar
14077 Numerical confidence.
14079 @item confidence-spot
14080 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
14082 @item prediction-num
14083 Plain-old numeric value.
14085 @item confidence-plus-minus
14086 Prediction +/- confidence.
14091 @node GroupLens Variables
14092 @subsection GroupLens Variables
14096 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
14097 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
14098 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
14099 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
14102 @item grouplens-bbb-host
14103 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
14106 @item grouplens-bbb-port
14107 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
14109 @item grouplens-score-offset
14110 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
14111 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
14114 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
14115 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
14116 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
14121 @node Advanced Scoring
14122 @section Advanced Scoring
14124 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
14125 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
14126 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
14127 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
14128 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
14130 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
14134 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
14135 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
14136 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
14140 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
14141 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
14143 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
14144 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
14145 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
14146 non-@code{nil} value.
14148 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
14149 operator, and various match operators.
14156 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14157 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
14158 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
14163 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14164 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
14165 then this operator will return @code{false}.
14170 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
14171 logical negation of the value of its argument.
14175 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
14176 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
14177 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
14178 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
14179 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
14180 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
14181 the ancestry you want to go.
14183 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
14184 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
14185 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
14186 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
14187 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
14190 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
14191 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
14193 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
14194 when he's talking about Gnus:
14198 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14199 ("subject" "Gnus"))
14205 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
14209 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14216 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
14217 really don't want to read what he's written:
14221 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14222 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
14226 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
14227 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
14228 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
14235 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
14236 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
14237 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
14238 ("body" "white.*socks"))
14242 The possibilities are endless.
14245 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
14246 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
14248 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
14249 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
14250 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
14251 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
14252 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
14253 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
14254 @samp{subject}) first.
14256 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
14257 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
14268 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
14269 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
14275 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14282 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14283 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14288 @section Score Decays
14289 @cindex score decays
14292 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14293 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14294 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14295 use them in any sensible way.
14297 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14298 @findex gnus-decay-score
14299 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14300 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14301 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14302 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14303 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14304 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14305 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14306 definition of that function:
14309 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14311 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14312 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14315 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14317 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14319 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14322 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14323 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14324 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14325 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14329 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14332 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14335 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14339 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14340 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14341 the new score, which should be an integer.
14343 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14344 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14351 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14352 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14353 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14354 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14355 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14356 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14357 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14358 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14359 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14360 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14361 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14362 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14363 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14364 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14365 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14366 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14367 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14368 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14372 @node Process/Prefix
14373 @section Process/Prefix
14374 @cindex process/prefix convention
14376 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14377 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14379 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14380 command to be performed on.
14384 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14385 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14386 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14387 with the current one.
14389 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14390 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14391 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14393 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14394 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14397 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14398 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14400 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14403 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14404 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14405 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14406 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14408 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14409 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14410 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14411 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14412 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14413 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14414 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14415 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14419 @section Interactive
14420 @cindex interaction
14424 @item gnus-novice-user
14425 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14426 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14427 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14428 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14429 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14432 @item gnus-expert-user
14433 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14434 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14435 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14436 matter how strange.
14438 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14439 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14440 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14441 is @code{t} by default.
14443 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14444 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14445 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14450 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14451 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14452 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14454 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14455 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14456 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14457 rule of 900 to the current article.
14459 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14460 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14461 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14462 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14463 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14464 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14465 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14467 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14468 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14469 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14470 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14471 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14472 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14473 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14474 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14475 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14477 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14478 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14479 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14481 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14485 @node Formatting Variables
14486 @section Formatting Variables
14487 @cindex formatting variables
14489 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14490 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14491 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14492 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14493 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14496 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14497 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14498 lots of percentages everywhere.
14501 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14502 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14503 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14504 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14505 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14508 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14509 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14510 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14511 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14512 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14513 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14514 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14515 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14517 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14518 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14520 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14521 @findex gnus-update-format
14522 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14523 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14524 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14525 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14529 @node Formatting Basics
14530 @subsection Formatting Basics
14532 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14533 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14534 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14536 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14537 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14538 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14539 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14540 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14543 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14544 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14545 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14546 less than 4 characters wide.
14549 @node Mode Line Formatting
14550 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14552 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14553 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14554 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14555 with the following two differences:
14560 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
14563 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
14564 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
14565 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
14566 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
14567 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
14568 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
14569 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
14574 @node Advanced Formatting
14575 @subsection Advanced Formatting
14577 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
14578 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
14579 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
14580 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
14582 These are the valid modifiers:
14587 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
14591 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
14596 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
14599 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
14604 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
14607 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
14610 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14613 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14617 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14618 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14619 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14620 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14621 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14622 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14623 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14625 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14626 last operation, padding.
14628 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14629 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14630 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14631 @xref{Compilation}.
14634 @node User-Defined Specs
14635 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14637 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14638 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14639 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14640 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14641 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14642 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14643 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14644 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14645 should protect against that.
14647 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14648 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14649 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14650 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14654 @node Formatting Fonts
14655 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14657 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14658 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14659 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14660 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14663 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14664 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14665 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14666 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14667 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14668 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14670 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
14671 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
14672 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
14673 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
14674 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
14675 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
14676 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
14677 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
14679 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14682 ;; Create three face types.
14683 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14684 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14686 ;; We want the article count to be in
14687 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14688 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14689 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14691 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14692 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14694 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14695 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14696 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14699 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14700 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14702 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14703 mode-line variables.
14706 @node Windows Configuration
14707 @section Windows Configuration
14708 @cindex windows configuration
14710 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14712 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14713 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14714 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14715 @code{t} by default.
14717 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
14718 glitches. Use at your own peril.
14720 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14721 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14722 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14725 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14726 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14727 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14731 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14732 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14733 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14734 possible names is listed below.
14736 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14737 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14740 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14744 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14745 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14746 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14747 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14748 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14749 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14750 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14751 size spec per split.
14753 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14754 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14755 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14756 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14757 present) gets focus.
14759 Here's a more complicated example:
14762 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14763 (summary 0.25 point)
14764 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14768 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14769 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14770 occupy, not a percentage.
14772 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14773 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14774 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14775 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14776 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14779 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14782 (article (horizontal 1.0
14787 (summary 0.25 point)
14792 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14793 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14795 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14796 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14797 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14798 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14799 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14801 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14802 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14803 lines from the splits.
14805 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14809 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14810 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14811 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14812 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14813 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14814 size = number | frame-params
14815 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14818 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14819 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14820 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14821 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14823 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14824 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14825 @cindex window height
14826 @cindex window width
14827 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14828 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14829 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14830 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14831 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14832 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14834 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14835 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14836 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14837 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14839 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14840 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14841 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14842 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14843 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14844 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14845 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14846 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14847 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14848 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14849 configuration list.
14852 (gnus-configure-frame
14856 (article 0.3 point))
14864 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14865 @code{frame} split:
14868 (gnus-configure-frame
14871 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14873 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14874 (user-position . t)
14875 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14880 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14881 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14882 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14883 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14884 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14885 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14886 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14887 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14889 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
14890 be found in its default value.
14892 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14893 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14894 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14898 (message (horizontal 1.0
14899 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14901 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14906 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
14907 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
14908 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
14911 (message (frame 1.0
14912 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
14913 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
14914 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
14915 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
14916 (name . "Message"))
14917 (message 1.0 point))))
14920 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14921 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14922 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14923 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14924 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14927 (gnus-add-configuration
14928 '(article (vertical 1.0
14930 (summary .25 point)
14934 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14935 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14936 Gnus has been loaded.
14938 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14939 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14940 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14941 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14942 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14944 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
14945 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
14946 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
14950 @node Faces and Fonts
14951 @section Faces and Fonts
14956 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14957 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14958 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14963 @section Compilation
14964 @cindex compilation
14965 @cindex byte-compilation
14967 @findex gnus-compile
14969 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14970 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14971 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14972 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14973 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14974 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14977 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14978 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14979 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14980 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14981 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14982 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14983 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14987 @section Mode Lines
14990 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14991 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14992 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14993 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14994 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14995 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14996 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14999 @cindex display-time
15001 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
15002 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
15003 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
15004 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
15005 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
15006 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
15007 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
15008 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
15011 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
15013 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
15014 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
15016 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
15017 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
15018 (length display-time-string)))))
15021 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
15022 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
15023 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
15024 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
15025 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
15028 @node Highlighting and Menus
15029 @section Highlighting and Menus
15031 @cindex highlighting
15034 @vindex gnus-visual
15035 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
15036 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
15037 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
15040 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
15041 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
15044 @item group-highlight
15045 Do highlights in the group buffer.
15046 @item summary-highlight
15047 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
15048 @item article-highlight
15049 Do highlights in the article buffer.
15051 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
15053 Create menus in the group buffer.
15055 Create menus in the summary buffers.
15057 Create menus in the article buffer.
15059 Create menus in the browse buffer.
15061 Create menus in the server buffer.
15063 Create menus in the score buffers.
15065 Create menus in all buffers.
15068 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
15069 buffers, you could say something like:
15072 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
15075 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
15078 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
15081 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
15082 in all Gnus buffers.
15084 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
15087 @item gnus-mouse-face
15088 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
15089 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
15090 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
15094 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
15098 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
15099 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
15100 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
15102 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
15103 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
15104 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
15106 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
15107 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
15108 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
15110 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
15111 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
15112 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
15114 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
15115 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
15116 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
15118 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
15119 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
15120 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
15131 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
15132 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
15133 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
15134 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
15135 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
15139 @vindex gnus-carpal
15140 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
15141 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
15142 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
15147 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15148 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15149 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
15151 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
15152 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
15153 Face used on buttons.
15155 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
15156 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
15157 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
15159 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15160 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15161 Buttons in the group buffer.
15163 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15164 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15165 Buttons in the summary buffer.
15167 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15168 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15169 Buttons in the server buffer.
15171 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15172 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15173 Buttons in the browse buffer.
15176 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
15177 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
15178 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
15186 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
15187 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
15188 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
15189 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
15190 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
15192 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
15193 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
15194 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
15196 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
15197 been idle for thirty minutes:
15200 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
15203 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
15207 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
15210 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
15211 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
15212 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15214 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
15215 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
15216 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
15217 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15219 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
15220 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
15221 @var{idle} minutes.
15223 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
15224 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
15227 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
15228 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
15229 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
15231 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
15232 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
15233 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
15234 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
15236 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
15237 your @file{.gnus} file:
15239 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
15241 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
15244 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
15245 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
15246 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
15247 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
15248 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
15249 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
15250 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
15251 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
15252 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
15253 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
15254 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
15256 @findex gnus-demon-init
15257 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
15258 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
15259 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
15260 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
15261 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
15263 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
15264 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
15265 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
15274 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
15275 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
15277 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
15278 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
15279 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
15280 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
15283 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
15284 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
15285 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
15286 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
15288 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15289 this will make spam disappear.
15291 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15294 @item gnus-use-nocem
15295 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15296 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15299 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15300 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15301 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15302 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15303 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15305 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15306 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15307 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15308 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15309 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15310 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15311 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15313 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15316 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15317 @cindex Chris Lewis
15318 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15319 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15322 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15323 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15324 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15326 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15328 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15331 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15332 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15333 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15336 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15337 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15338 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15339 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15340 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15341 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15342 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15343 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15344 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15345 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15347 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15348 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15351 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15354 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15355 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15358 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15361 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15364 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15365 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15367 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15368 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15369 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15370 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15372 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15373 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15376 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15378 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15386 This might be dangerous, though.
15388 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15389 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15390 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15391 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15393 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15394 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15395 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15396 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15397 might then see old spam.
15401 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15402 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15403 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15404 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15411 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15412 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15413 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15415 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15416 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15417 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15418 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15419 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15420 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15421 @code{undo} function.
15423 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15424 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15425 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15426 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15427 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15428 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15429 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15430 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15431 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15432 never be totally undoable.
15434 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15435 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15437 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15438 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15439 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15440 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15445 @section Moderation
15448 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15449 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15450 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15453 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15457 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15460 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15462 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15467 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15468 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15469 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15472 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15473 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15476 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15477 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15481 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15484 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15485 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15489 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15490 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15493 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15497 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15498 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15499 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15500 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15513 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15514 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15515 over your shoulder as you read news.
15518 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15519 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15520 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15521 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15522 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15527 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15529 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15538 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15539 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15540 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15541 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15542 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15543 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15544 @code{GIF} formats.
15547 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15548 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15549 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15550 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15551 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15553 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15554 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15555 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15556 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15557 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15558 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15561 @node Picon Requirements
15562 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
15564 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
15565 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
15568 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
15569 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
15570 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
15572 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15573 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
15574 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
15575 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
15576 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
15580 @subsubsection Easy Picons
15582 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
15583 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
15586 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
15587 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
15590 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
15591 containing the Picons databases.
15593 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
15596 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15597 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
15602 @subsubsection Hard Picons
15610 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
15611 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
15612 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
15613 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
15614 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
15619 @item gnus-picons-database
15620 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15621 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
15622 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
15623 subdirectories. This is only useful if
15624 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
15625 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
15627 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15628 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15629 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15630 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15631 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15632 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15633 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15635 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15636 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15637 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15638 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15639 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15640 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15641 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15642 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15644 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15645 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15646 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15651 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15652 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15654 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15655 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15658 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15660 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15661 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15662 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15663 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
15665 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15666 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15667 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
15673 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15674 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15682 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15683 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15684 don't need to worry about.
15688 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15689 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15690 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15691 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15693 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15694 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15695 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15696 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15698 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15699 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15700 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15701 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15702 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15704 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15705 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15706 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15707 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15708 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15709 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15710 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15712 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15713 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15714 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15715 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15717 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15718 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15719 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15720 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15721 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15722 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15723 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15725 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15726 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15727 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15728 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15730 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15731 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15732 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15733 Defaults to @code{t}.
15735 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15736 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15737 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15738 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15740 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
15741 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
15742 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
15744 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15745 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15746 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15747 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15749 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
15750 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
15752 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15753 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15754 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15755 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15756 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15757 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15758 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15759 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15770 @subsection Smileys
15775 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15780 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15781 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15783 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15784 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15787 (setq gnus-treat-display-smiley t)
15790 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15791 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15792 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15793 text and maps that to file names.
15795 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15796 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15797 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15798 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15799 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15800 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15802 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15803 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15805 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15806 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15807 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15809 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15810 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15814 @item smiley-data-directory
15815 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15816 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15818 @item smiley-flesh-color
15819 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15820 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15822 @item smiley-features-color
15823 @vindex smiley-features-color
15824 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15826 @item smiley-tongue-color
15827 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15828 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15830 @item smiley-circle-color
15831 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15832 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15834 @item smiley-mouse-face
15835 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15836 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15842 @subsection Toolbar
15852 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15853 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15854 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15855 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15856 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15858 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15859 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15860 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15862 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15863 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15864 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15866 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15867 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15868 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15874 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15877 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15878 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15879 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15880 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15881 unusual directory structure.
15883 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15884 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15885 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15886 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15888 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15889 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15890 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15891 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15892 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15893 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15895 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15896 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15897 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15911 @node Fuzzy Matching
15912 @section Fuzzy Matching
15913 @cindex fuzzy matching
15915 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15916 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15918 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15919 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15920 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15922 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15923 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15924 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15925 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15926 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15929 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15930 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15934 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15936 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15937 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15938 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15939 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15940 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15941 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15942 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15943 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15946 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15947 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15948 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15949 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15950 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15951 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15955 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15956 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15958 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15959 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15960 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15961 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15962 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15963 part of the mail address.)
15966 (setq message-default-news-headers
15967 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15970 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15971 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15976 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15977 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15978 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15984 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15985 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15986 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15987 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15989 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15990 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15991 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15992 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15993 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15994 your fancy split rule in this way:
15999 (to "larsi" "misc")
16003 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
16004 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
16005 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
16006 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
16007 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
16009 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
16010 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
16011 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
16012 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
16013 cosmic balance somewhat.
16015 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
16016 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
16017 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
16018 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
16021 @node Various Various
16022 @section Various Various
16028 @item gnus-home-directory
16029 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
16030 defaults to @file{~/}.
16032 @item gnus-directory
16033 @vindex gnus-directory
16034 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
16035 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
16036 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
16038 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
16039 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
16040 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
16041 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
16043 @item gnus-default-directory
16044 @vindex gnus-default-directory
16045 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
16046 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
16047 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
16048 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16049 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
16050 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
16053 @vindex gnus-verbose
16054 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
16055 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
16056 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
16057 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
16058 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
16060 @item gnus-verbose-backends
16061 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
16062 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
16063 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
16065 @item nnheader-max-head-length
16066 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
16067 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
16068 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
16069 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
16070 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
16071 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
16072 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
16073 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
16074 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
16076 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
16077 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
16078 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
16079 read when doing the operation described above.
16081 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16082 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16084 @cindex invalid characters in file names
16085 @cindex characters in file names
16086 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
16087 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
16088 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
16091 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16095 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
16096 Windows (phooey) systems.
16098 @item gnus-hidden-properties
16099 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
16100 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
16101 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
16102 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
16104 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
16105 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
16106 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
16107 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
16108 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
16110 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
16111 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
16112 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
16121 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
16122 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
16124 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
16126 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
16132 Not because of victories @*
16135 but for the common sunshine,@*
16137 the largess of the spring.
16141 but for the day's work done@*
16142 as well as I was able;@*
16143 not for a seat upon the dais@*
16144 but at the common table.@*
16149 @chapter Appendices
16152 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
16153 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
16154 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
16155 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
16156 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
16157 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
16158 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
16166 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
16167 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
16169 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
16170 can point your (feh!) web browser to
16171 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
16172 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
16173 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
16175 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
16176 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
16177 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
16178 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
16179 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
16180 appropriate name, don't you think?)
16182 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
16183 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
16184 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
16185 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
16187 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
16188 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
16189 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
16191 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
16192 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
16194 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
16195 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
16197 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
16198 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
16200 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
16201 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
16202 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
16203 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
16204 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
16208 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
16209 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
16210 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
16211 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
16212 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
16213 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
16214 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
16221 What's the point of Gnus?
16223 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
16224 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
16225 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
16226 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
16227 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
16228 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
16229 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
16230 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
16231 keep track of millions of people who post?
16233 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
16234 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
16235 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
16236 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
16237 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
16238 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
16239 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
16240 every one of you to explore and invent.
16242 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
16243 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
16246 @node Compatibility
16247 @subsection Compatibility
16249 @cindex compatibility
16250 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
16251 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
16252 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
16257 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
16261 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
16264 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
16267 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
16268 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
16269 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
16270 important variables have their values copied into their global
16271 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
16272 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
16274 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
16275 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
16276 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
16277 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
16278 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
16282 @cindex highlighting
16283 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16284 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16285 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16286 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16287 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16288 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16291 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16292 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16293 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16294 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16296 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16297 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16298 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16299 to stop doing it the old way.
16301 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16303 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16305 @cindex reporting bugs
16307 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16308 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16309 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16311 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16312 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16313 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16314 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16319 @subsection Conformity
16321 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16322 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16329 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16333 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16335 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16336 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16337 We do have some breaches to this one.
16343 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
16344 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
16345 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
16346 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
16347 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16352 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16353 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16354 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16355 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16359 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16360 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16365 @subsection Emacsen
16371 Gnus should work on :
16379 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16383 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
16384 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
16387 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16388 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16389 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16394 @subsection Contributors
16395 @cindex contributors
16397 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16398 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16399 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16400 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16401 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16402 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16403 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16404 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16405 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16406 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16408 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16414 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16417 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16418 well as numerous other things).
16421 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16424 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16427 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16428 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16431 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16432 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16435 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16438 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16439 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16442 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16445 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16448 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16451 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16454 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16455 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16458 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16461 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16464 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16467 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16471 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16474 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16477 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16480 Fran
\e$BmP
\e(Bis Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16481 well as autoconf support.
16485 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16486 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16488 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16493 David K
\e$BiH
\e(Bedal,
16497 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16501 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16524 Massimo Campostrini,
16532 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
16538 Michael Welsh Duggan,
16542 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
16546 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
16553 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
16555 Michelangelo Grigni,
16559 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
16561 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
16563 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
16568 Fran
\e$BmP
\e(Bis Felix Ingrand,
16569 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
16571 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
16580 Peter Skov Knudsen,
16581 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
16582 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
16583 Thor Kristoffersen,
16586 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
16604 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
16605 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
16612 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
16616 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
16620 John McClary Prevost,
16626 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
16631 Christian von Roques,
16634 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16641 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16643 Randal L. Schwartz,
16674 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
16679 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16680 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16681 (550kB and counting).
16683 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16686 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16687 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16691 @subsection New Features
16692 @cindex new features
16695 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16696 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16697 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16698 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16701 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16702 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16703 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16707 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16709 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16714 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16715 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16718 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16719 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16722 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16725 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16726 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16727 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16730 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16731 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16732 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16733 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16736 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16737 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16740 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16741 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16742 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16745 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16746 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16749 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16750 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16751 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16754 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16755 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16756 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16759 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16760 the @file{.emacs} file.
16763 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16764 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16767 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16768 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16771 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16772 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16775 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16776 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16779 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16780 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16783 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16786 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16787 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16790 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16791 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16794 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16795 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16798 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16801 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16802 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16805 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16809 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16813 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16814 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16817 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16823 @node September Gnus
16824 @subsubsection September Gnus
16828 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16832 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16837 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16838 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16842 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16843 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16847 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16851 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16852 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16855 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16859 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16862 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16865 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16868 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16872 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16873 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16876 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16880 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16884 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16888 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16892 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16895 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16896 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16899 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16903 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16904 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16907 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16910 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16911 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16912 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16915 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16919 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16922 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16926 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16927 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16930 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16931 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16934 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16935 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16938 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16939 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16940 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16943 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16944 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16947 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16950 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16953 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16956 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16959 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16960 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16963 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16967 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16970 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16975 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16978 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16982 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16985 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16989 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16992 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16995 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16996 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16999 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
17000 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
17004 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
17005 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
17008 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
17012 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
17013 buffer to allow easier treatment.
17016 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
17019 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
17023 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
17027 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
17028 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
17031 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
17035 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
17036 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
17039 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
17040 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17043 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
17047 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17050 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
17053 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
17059 @subsubsection Red Gnus
17061 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
17065 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
17072 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
17075 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
17076 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
17079 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
17080 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
17084 Article washing status can be displayed in the
17085 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
17088 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
17091 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
17092 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
17095 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
17099 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
17100 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
17104 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
17105 Server Internals}).
17108 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
17112 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
17115 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
17116 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
17119 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
17120 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
17121 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
17124 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
17125 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17128 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
17129 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
17132 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
17136 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
17137 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17140 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
17141 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
17144 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
17148 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
17151 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
17155 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
17156 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17159 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
17160 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17163 A new command for reading collections of documents
17164 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
17165 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
17168 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
17172 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
17173 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
17176 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
17177 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
17178 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
17181 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
17182 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
17186 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
17190 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
17194 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
17199 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
17203 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
17207 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
17208 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
17211 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
17217 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
17219 New features in Gnus 5.6:
17224 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
17225 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
17226 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
17229 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
17230 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
17231 group, which is created automatically.
17234 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
17238 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
17241 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
17242 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
17245 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
17249 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
17252 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
17253 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
17256 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
17259 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
17260 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
17263 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
17264 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
17267 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
17268 control over simplification.
17271 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
17274 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17278 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17281 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17284 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17285 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17286 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17289 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17290 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17293 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17297 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17298 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17301 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17302 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17305 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17309 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17312 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17315 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17316 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17319 A new function for citing in Message has been
17320 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17323 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17326 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17330 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17331 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17334 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17335 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17338 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17341 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17346 @node Newest Features
17347 @subsection Newest Features
17350 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17353 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17355 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17356 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17359 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17364 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17365 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17368 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17371 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17374 facep is not declared.
17377 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17378 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17381 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17386 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17387 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17388 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17389 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17390 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17391 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17392 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17397 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17400 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17403 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17405 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17406 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17408 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17410 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17412 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17413 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17415 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17417 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17418 be marked as unread.
17420 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17422 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17424 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17425 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17427 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17429 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17431 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17432 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17434 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17435 articles aren't displayed.
17437 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17439 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17440 make the mail groups killed.
17442 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17444 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17445 and articles have to be removed.
17447 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17450 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17452 finding short score file names takes forever.
17454 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17456 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17458 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17460 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17462 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17464 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17466 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17467 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17471 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17473 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17474 bar and the Gnus bar.
17477 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17478 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17479 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17480 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17481 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17482 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17487 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17491 postponed commands.
17493 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17495 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17498 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17499 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17501 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
17502 inherit copy prompts and save files.
17504 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
17506 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
17507 for backends that support that.
17509 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
17511 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
17512 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
17514 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
17515 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
17517 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
17519 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
17521 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
17523 server mode command: close/open all connections
17525 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
17526 has been changed before using it.
17528 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
17530 hide (sub)threads with low score.
17532 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
17534 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
17536 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
17537 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
17539 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
17540 contain groups that match a regexp.
17542 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
17545 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
17548 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
17549 from subject lines.
17551 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
17553 nntp-ping-before-connect
17555 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
17557 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
17558 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
17560 message annotations.
17562 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
17564 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
17565 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
17567 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
17572 support qmail maildir spools
17574 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
17576 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
17578 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
17580 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
17581 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
17583 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
17585 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
17587 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
17588 finds and generate proper active ranges.
17590 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
17591 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
17593 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
17595 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
17597 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
17598 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
17600 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
17602 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
17604 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
17605 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
17608 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
17610 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
17612 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
17613 `C-c C-c' when posting.
17615 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17618 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17619 should be marker as expirable.
17621 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17623 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17624 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17626 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17627 Also consult Date headers.
17629 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17631 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17633 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17634 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17636 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17637 into a See-Also header.
17639 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17641 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17643 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17644 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17646 generate font names dynamically.
17648 score file mode auto-alist.
17650 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17651 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17653 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17654 absolutely all headers there is.
17656 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17657 and pipe them to the process.
17659 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17660 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17661 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17663 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17664 the current mail group.
17666 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17668 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17669 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17671 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17672 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17674 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17676 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17677 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17679 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17680 groups it has been mailed to.
17682 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17684 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17686 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17688 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17689 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17691 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17692 newlines) should be ignored.
17694 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17695 groups in subtopics as well.
17697 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17699 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17702 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17704 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17706 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17708 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17710 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17712 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17714 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17715 or the formatted article.
17717 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17719 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17720 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17722 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17724 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17726 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17728 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17729 even unread articles.
17731 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17733 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17735 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17737 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17739 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17741 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17744 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17745 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17747 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17748 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17750 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17752 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17754 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17755 from a particular server? Hm.
17757 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17758 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17760 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17762 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17763 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17765 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17766 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17768 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17769 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17770 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17773 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17774 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17776 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17778 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17780 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17782 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17785 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17788 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17789 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17791 command to show and edit group scores
17793 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17796 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17798 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17800 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17801 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17804 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17805 that are of that length.
17807 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17809 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17811 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17813 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17815 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17817 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17819 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17820 a score lower than this number.
17822 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17824 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17826 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17827 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17829 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17831 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17832 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17834 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17837 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17838 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17839 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17840 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17842 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17845 command to remove all topic stuff.
17847 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17848 and splitting the resulting digests.
17850 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17852 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17854 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17855 matches an alist -- before saving.
17857 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17859 variable to activate each group before entering them
17860 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17862 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17863 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17865 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17866 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17868 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17870 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17871 of several groups at once.
17873 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17874 matches some regexp(s).
17876 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17878 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17880 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17882 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17884 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17886 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17888 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17890 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17891 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17892 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17893 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17895 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17896 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17898 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17900 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17901 recently cited text.
17903 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17905 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17908 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17909 server and just read the articles in the server
17911 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17912 value of nnoo variables.
17914 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17916 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17917 listed in each group info.
17919 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17922 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17923 should only be applied to some groups.
17925 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17926 mail-copies-to: never.
17928 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17929 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17931 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
17933 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17936 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17939 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17941 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17944 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17948 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17950 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17951 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17952 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17953 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17954 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17956 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17957 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17964 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17965 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17967 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17968 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17970 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17971 "Return the date the group was last read."
17972 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17977 tanken var at n
\e$BiS
\e(B du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til
\92é
\81lete
17978 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den v
\e$BkS
\e(Be en
17979 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17980 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17984 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17985 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17987 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17990 They could be used like this:
17994 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17995 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17996 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17998 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
18000 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
18003 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
18006 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
18007 affect the summary line format.
18011 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
18013 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
18014 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
18016 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
18019 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
18021 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
18023 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
18025 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
18027 - For other files, just find them normally.
18029 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
18030 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
18033 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
18034 tell him what you are doing.
18037 Currently, I get prompted:
18041 decend into sci.something ?
18045 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
18046 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
18047 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
18048 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
18051 Ja, det burde v
\e$BkS
\e(Be en m
\e$BiU
\e(Be
\92é
\81si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
18052 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? S
\92é
\81kunne score-regler legges til den
18053 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
18054 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
18057 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
18058 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
18064 more than n blank lines
18066 more than m identical lines
18067 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
18069 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
18073 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
18074 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
18075 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
18076 "same" subject for threading purposes.
18079 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
18080 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
18081 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
18082 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
18085 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
18088 soup - bowl of soup
18089 score below - dim light bulb
18090 score over - bright light bulb
18093 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
18098 show-list-of-articles-in-group
18099 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18100 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
18101 if (articles-selected)
18102 start-reading-selected-articles;
18103 junk-unread-articles;
18108 else if (key-pressed = '.')
18109 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
18110 select-thread-under-cursor;
18112 select-article-under-cursor;
18116 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18117 if (more-pages-in-article)
18119 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
18126 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
18127 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
18128 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
18131 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
18132 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
18133 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
18134 the wildcard expression).
18137 It would be nice if it also handled
18139 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
18141 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
18146 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
18147 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
18148 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
18149 article versions) variable.
18151 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
18153 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
18154 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
18158 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
18161 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
18162 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
18163 (message-sent-hook).
18165 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
18168 * Enhancements to Gnus:
18172 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
18173 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
18176 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
18177 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
18178 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
18181 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
18182 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
18186 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
18189 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
18193 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
18194 the nnmail duplicate checking.
18197 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
18198 value of the signature file.
18201 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
18202 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
18205 (setq message-tab-alist
18206 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
18207 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
18209 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
18213 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
18216 a command to import a buffer into a group.
18219 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
18222 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
18223 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
18226 a command to process mark all unread articles.
18229 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
18230 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
18231 do more gathering by subject.
18234 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
18235 article numerical order.
18238 (gnus-thread-total-score
18239 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
18243 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
18246 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
18247 in the summary buffer.
18250 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
18251 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
18254 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
18255 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
18256 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
18257 and/or newsgroup name.
18260 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
18263 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
18266 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18269 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18270 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18271 will automatically get the process mark.
18274 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18275 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18276 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18279 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18283 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18284 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18287 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18288 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18292 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18293 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18296 be able to post via DejaNews.
18299 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18302 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18303 allow them to be displayed separately.
18306 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18307 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18310 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18311 articles that match a certain From header.
18314 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18315 saving living summary buffers.
18318 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18319 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18322 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18323 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18326 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18327 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18330 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18331 (goto-char (point-min))
18332 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18333 (replace-match "`" t t))
18334 (goto-char (point-min))
18335 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18336 (replace-match "'" t t))
18337 (goto-char (point-min))
18338 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18339 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18340 (goto-char (point-min))
18341 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18342 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18347 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18349 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18350 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18351 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18352 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18356 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18359 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18360 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18364 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18365 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18366 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18368 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18369 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18371 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18372 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18377 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18378 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18381 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18382 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt
\92é
\81slette den dersom teksten matcher
18384 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18386 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18387 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18390 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18391 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18394 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18398 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18399 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18402 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18405 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18408 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18411 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18415 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18421 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18424 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18428 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18429 X characters in the body.
18432 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18435 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18438 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18441 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18444 command to display all dormant articles.
18447 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18450 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18451 to something someone else has said.
18454 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18455 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18458 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18459 the displayed version.
18462 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18466 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18469 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18470 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18471 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18475 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18476 in the head or body.
18479 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18482 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18485 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18486 in a special, unique buffer.
18489 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18492 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18493 is less than a certain number of days old.
18496 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18499 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18502 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18503 file, for instance.
18506 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
18507 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
18508 dummy root instead of the first article.
18511 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
18512 topics for displaying.
18515 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
18516 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
18519 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
18522 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
18523 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
18524 summary buffer for each article.
18527 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
18530 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
18534 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
18537 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
18541 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
18544 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
18547 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
18548 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
18551 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
18554 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
18555 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
18558 The documentation should mention pop3.el, fetchmail, smtpmail and why
18559 po:username often fails.
18562 Fetch by Message-ID from dejanews.
18564 <URL:http://search.dejanews.com/msgid.xp?MID=%3C62h9l9$hm4@@basement.replay.com%3E&fmt=raw>
18567 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
18568 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
18571 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
18572 timeout for all commands.
18575 Solve the halting problem.
18584 @section The Manual
18588 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
18589 either @code{texi2dvi}
18591 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
18592 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
18594 to get what you hold in your hands now.
18596 The following conventions have been used:
18601 This is a @samp{string}
18604 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
18607 This is a @file{file}
18610 This is a @code{symbol}
18614 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
18618 (setq flargnoze "yes")
18621 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
18624 (setq flumphel 'yes)
18627 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
18628 ever get them confused.
18632 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
18633 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
18634 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
18635 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
18636 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
18637 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
18638 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
18646 @section Terminology
18648 @cindex terminology
18653 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18654 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18655 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18656 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18657 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18661 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18662 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18663 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18664 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18668 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18672 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18677 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18678 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18679 is all done by the backends.
18683 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18684 default, way of getting news.
18688 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18689 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18694 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18695 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18699 A message that has been posted as news.
18702 @cindex mail message
18703 A message that has been mailed.
18707 A mail message or news article
18711 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18716 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18721 A line from the head of an article.
18725 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18726 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18730 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18731 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18732 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18733 normal @sc{head} format.
18737 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18738 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18739 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18740 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18741 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18742 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18744 @item killed groups
18745 @cindex killed groups
18746 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18747 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18749 @item zombie groups
18750 @cindex zombie groups
18751 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18754 @cindex active file
18755 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18756 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18757 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18760 @cindex bogus groups
18761 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18762 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18763 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18766 @cindex activating groups
18767 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18768 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18769 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18773 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18775 @item select method
18776 @cindex select method
18777 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18780 @item virtual server
18781 @cindex virtual server
18782 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18783 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18784 whole is a virtual server.
18788 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18789 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18792 @item ephemeral groups
18793 @cindex ephemeral groups
18794 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18795 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18796 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18799 @cindex solid groups
18800 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18801 group buffer are solid groups.
18803 @item sparse articles
18804 @cindex sparse articles
18805 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18806 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18810 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18811 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18815 @cindex thread root
18816 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18817 articles in the thread.
18821 An article that has responses.
18825 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18829 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18830 specified by RFC1153.
18836 @node Customization
18837 @section Customization
18838 @cindex general customization
18840 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18841 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18842 for some quite common situations.
18845 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18846 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18847 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18848 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18852 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18853 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18855 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18856 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18857 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18861 @item gnus-read-active-file
18862 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18863 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18864 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18865 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18866 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18868 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18869 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18870 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18871 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18875 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18876 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18878 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18879 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18880 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18884 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18885 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18886 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18887 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18888 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18890 @item gnus-visible-headers
18891 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18892 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18893 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18894 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18896 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18898 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
18899 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
18900 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
18903 @item gnus-use-full-window
18904 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18905 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18906 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18907 want to read them anyway.
18909 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18910 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18913 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18914 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18915 lines, which might save some time.
18919 @node Little Disk Space
18920 @subsection Little Disk Space
18923 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18924 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18928 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18929 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18930 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18931 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18934 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18935 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18936 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18937 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18938 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18944 @subsection Slow Machine
18945 @cindex slow machine
18947 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18948 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18950 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18951 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18953 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18954 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18955 summary buffer faster.
18959 @node Troubleshooting
18960 @section Troubleshooting
18961 @cindex troubleshooting
18963 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18971 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18974 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18975 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18979 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18980 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18981 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18982 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18985 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18989 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18990 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18991 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18992 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18993 something like that.
18996 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18999 @cindex reporting bugs
19001 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19003 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
19004 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
19005 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
19006 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
19008 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
19009 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
19010 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
19011 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
19014 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
19015 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
19016 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
19017 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
19018 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
19019 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
19021 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
19022 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
19023 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
19026 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
19027 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
19029 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
19030 @cindex ding mailing list
19031 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
19032 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
19036 @node Gnus Reference Guide
19037 @section Gnus Reference Guide
19039 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
19040 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
19041 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
19042 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
19045 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
19046 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
19047 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
19048 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
19049 and general methods of operation.
19052 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
19053 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
19054 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
19055 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
19056 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
19057 * Group Info:: The group info format.
19058 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
19059 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
19060 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
19064 @node Gnus Utility Functions
19065 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
19066 @cindex Gnus utility functions
19067 @cindex utility functions
19069 @cindex internal variables
19071 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
19072 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
19073 Below is a list of the most common ones.
19077 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
19078 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
19079 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
19081 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
19082 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
19083 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
19085 @item gnus-group-real-name
19086 @findex gnus-group-real-name
19087 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
19090 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
19091 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
19092 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
19093 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
19095 @item gnus-get-info
19096 @findex gnus-get-info
19097 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
19099 @item gnus-group-unread
19100 @findex gnus-group-unread
19101 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
19105 @findex gnus-active
19106 The active entry for @var{group}.
19108 @item gnus-set-active
19109 @findex gnus-set-active
19110 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
19112 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19113 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19114 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
19117 @item gnus-continuum-version
19118 @findex gnus-continuum-version
19119 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
19120 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
19123 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
19124 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
19125 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
19127 @item gnus-news-group-p
19128 @findex gnus-news-group-p
19129 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
19131 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19132 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19133 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
19135 @item gnus-server-to-method
19136 @findex gnus-server-to-method
19137 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
19139 @item gnus-server-equal
19140 @findex gnus-server-equal
19141 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
19143 @item gnus-group-native-p
19144 @findex gnus-group-native-p
19145 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
19147 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
19148 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
19149 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
19151 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
19152 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
19153 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
19155 @item group-group-find-parameter
19156 @findex group-group-find-parameter
19157 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
19158 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
19160 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
19161 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
19162 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
19164 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
19165 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
19166 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
19168 @item gnus-check-backend-function
19169 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
19170 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
19171 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
19174 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
19178 @item gnus-read-method
19179 @findex gnus-read-method
19180 Prompts the user for a select method.
19185 @node Backend Interface
19186 @subsection Backend Interface
19188 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
19189 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
19190 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
19191 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
19192 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
19193 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
19195 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
19196 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
19197 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
19198 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
19199 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
19200 been opened, the function should fail.
19202 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
19203 name. Take this example:
19207 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
19208 (nntp-port-number 4324))
19211 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
19212 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
19214 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
19215 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
19216 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
19218 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
19219 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
19220 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
19222 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
19223 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
19224 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
19225 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
19226 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
19227 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
19230 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
19231 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
19232 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
19233 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
19236 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
19239 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
19242 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
19243 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
19244 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
19245 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
19246 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
19247 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
19251 @node Required Backend Functions
19252 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
19256 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
19258 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
19259 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
19260 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
19261 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
19263 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
19264 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
19265 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
19266 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
19268 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
19269 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
19270 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
19271 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
19272 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
19273 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
19274 number, do maximum fetches.
19276 Here's an example HEAD:
19279 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19280 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19281 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19282 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19283 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19284 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19285 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19287 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19288 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19289 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19293 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19294 these in the data buffer.
19296 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19300 head = error / valid-head
19301 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19302 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19303 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19304 header = <text> eol
19307 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19308 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19312 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19313 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19314 field = <text except TAB>
19317 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19321 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19323 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19324 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19326 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19327 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19328 server. In fact, it should do so.
19330 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19331 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19334 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19336 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19337 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19340 There should be no data returned.
19343 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19345 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19346 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19347 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19348 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19350 There should be no data returned.
19353 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19355 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19356 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19357 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19358 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19360 There should be no data returned.
19363 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19365 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19367 There should be no data returned.
19370 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19372 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19373 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19374 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19375 it would be nice if that were possible.
19377 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19378 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19379 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19380 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19381 into its article buffer.
19383 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19384 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19385 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19386 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19387 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19388 on successful article retrieval.
19391 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19393 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19394 making @var{group} the current group.
19396 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19399 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19402 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19405 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19406 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19407 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19408 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19409 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19410 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19411 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19412 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19415 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19416 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19417 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19421 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19423 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19424 a no-op on most backends.
19426 There should be no data returned.
19429 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19431 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19434 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19437 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19438 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19441 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19442 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19445 active-file = *active-line
19446 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19448 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19451 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19452 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19453 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19456 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19458 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
19459 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
19460 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
19461 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
19462 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
19463 clear if the posting could not be completed.
19465 There should be no result data from this function.
19470 @node Optional Backend Functions
19471 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
19475 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
19477 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
19478 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
19479 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
19481 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
19482 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
19483 former is in the same format as the data from
19484 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
19485 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
19488 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
19492 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
19494 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
19495 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
19496 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
19497 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
19498 should return the (altered) group info.
19500 There should be no result data from this function.
19503 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
19505 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
19506 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
19507 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
19508 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
19509 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
19510 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
19511 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
19512 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
19514 There should be no result data from this function.
19517 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
19519 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
19520 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
19521 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
19522 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
19523 the mark information to the server.
19525 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
19528 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
19531 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
19532 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
19533 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
19534 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
19535 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
19536 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
19537 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
19538 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
19539 not limit itself to theese.
19541 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
19542 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
19543 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
19544 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
19546 An example action list:
19549 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
19550 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
19551 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
19554 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
19555 mark on (currently not used for anything).
19557 There should be no result data from this function.
19559 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
19561 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
19562 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
19563 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
19564 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
19565 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
19567 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
19568 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
19569 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
19572 There should be no result data from this function.
19575 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
19577 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
19578 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
19579 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
19580 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
19581 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
19582 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
19583 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
19585 There should be no result data from this function.
19588 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
19590 The result data from this function should be a description of
19594 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
19596 description = <text>
19599 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
19601 The result data from this function should be the description of all
19602 groups available on the server.
19605 description-buffer = *description-line
19609 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
19611 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
19612 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
19613 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
19616 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19618 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
19620 There should be no return data.
19623 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
19625 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
19626 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
19627 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
19628 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
19629 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
19632 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
19635 There should be no result data returned.
19638 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
19641 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
19642 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
19644 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
19645 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
19646 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
19647 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
19648 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
19649 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
19651 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
19652 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
19655 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19656 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19658 There should be no data returned.
19661 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
19663 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
19664 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
19665 this function in short order.
19667 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19668 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19670 There should be no data returned.
19673 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
19675 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
19676 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
19678 There should be no data returned.
19681 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
19683 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
19684 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
19685 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19687 There should be no data returned.
19690 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19692 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19693 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19695 There should be no data returned.
19700 @node Error Messaging
19701 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19703 @findex nnheader-report
19704 @findex nnheader-get-report
19705 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19706 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19707 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19708 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19709 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19710 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19713 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19715 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19718 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19719 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19720 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19721 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19723 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19724 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19725 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19728 @node Writing New Backends
19729 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19731 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19732 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19733 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19734 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19735 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19738 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19739 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19740 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19742 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19743 package called @code{nnoo}.
19745 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19746 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19752 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19753 parameters. For instance:
19756 (nnoo-declare nndir
19760 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19761 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19764 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19765 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19766 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19768 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19769 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19770 a function in those backends.
19773 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19774 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19775 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19778 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19779 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19780 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19782 @item nnoo-define-basics
19783 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19787 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19791 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19792 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19793 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19795 @item nnoo-map-functions
19796 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19797 functions from the parent backends.
19800 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19801 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19802 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19805 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19806 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19807 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19808 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19811 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19812 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19813 haven't already been defined.
19819 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19823 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19824 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19825 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19830 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19833 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19834 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19838 (require 'nnheader)
19842 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19844 (nnoo-declare nndir
19847 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19848 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19849 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19851 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19852 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19855 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19856 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19857 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19859 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19860 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19862 ;;; Interface functions.
19864 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19866 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19867 (setq nndir-directory
19868 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19870 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19871 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19872 (push `(nndir-current-group
19873 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19875 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19876 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19878 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19880 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19881 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19882 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19883 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19884 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19888 nnmh-status-message
19890 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19896 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19897 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19899 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19900 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19901 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19902 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19904 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19905 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19910 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19913 The abilities can be:
19917 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19919 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19921 This backend supports both mail and news.
19923 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19926 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19927 articles and groups.
19929 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19930 true for almost all backends.
19931 @item prompt-address
19932 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19933 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19934 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19938 @node Mail-like Backends
19939 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19941 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19942 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19943 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19944 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19947 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19948 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19949 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19952 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19953 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19956 This function takes four parameters.
19960 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19963 @item exit-function
19964 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19966 @item temp-directory
19967 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19970 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19971 performed for one group only.
19974 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19975 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19976 find the article number assigned to this article.
19978 The function also uses the following variables:
19979 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19980 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19981 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19982 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19986 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19987 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19991 @node Score File Syntax
19992 @subsection Score File Syntax
19994 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19995 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19996 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19998 Here's a typical score file:
20002 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
20009 BNF definition of a score file:
20012 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
20013 element = rule / atom
20014 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
20015 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
20016 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
20017 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
20019 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
20020 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
20021 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
20022 date-header = "date"
20023 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20024 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20025 score = "nil" / <integer>
20026 date = "nil" / <natural number>
20027 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
20028 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
20029 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
20030 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
20031 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20032 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20033 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
20034 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20035 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
20036 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
20037 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
20038 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
20039 exclude-files / read-only / touched
20040 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
20041 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
20042 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
20043 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
20044 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
20045 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
20046 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
20047 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
20048 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
20049 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
20050 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
20051 eval = "eval" space <form>
20052 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
20055 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
20058 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
20059 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
20060 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
20061 one looong line, then that's ok.
20063 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
20064 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20068 @subsection Headers
20070 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
20071 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
20072 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
20073 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
20075 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
20076 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
20077 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
20078 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
20079 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
20080 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
20081 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
20083 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
20084 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
20085 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
20086 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
20087 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
20089 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
20090 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
20096 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
20097 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
20099 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
20100 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
20101 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
20102 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
20104 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
20108 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
20111 is transformed into
20114 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
20117 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
20118 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
20121 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
20124 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
20125 is slightly tricky:
20128 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
20134 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
20137 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
20143 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
20150 and is equal to the previous range.
20152 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
20153 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
20154 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
20158 range = simple-range / normal-range
20159 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
20160 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
20161 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
20162 number *[ " " contents ]
20165 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
20166 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
20167 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
20168 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
20169 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
20174 @subsection Group Info
20176 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
20177 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
20178 describes the group.
20180 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
20181 second is a more complex one:
20184 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
20186 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
20187 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
20189 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
20192 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
20193 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
20194 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
20195 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
20196 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
20197 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
20198 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
20199 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
20200 this section is about.
20202 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
20203 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
20204 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
20206 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
20209 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
20210 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
20211 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20212 group = quote <string> quote
20213 ralevel = rank / level
20214 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20215 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
20216 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20218 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
20219 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
20220 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
20221 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
20224 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
20225 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
20228 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
20229 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
20232 @item gnus-info-group
20233 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
20234 @findex gnus-info-group
20235 @findex gnus-info-set-group
20236 Get/set the group name.
20238 @item gnus-info-rank
20239 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
20240 @findex gnus-info-rank
20241 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
20242 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
20244 @item gnus-info-level
20245 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
20246 @findex gnus-info-level
20247 @findex gnus-info-set-level
20248 Get/set the group level.
20250 @item gnus-info-score
20251 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
20252 @findex gnus-info-score
20253 @findex gnus-info-set-score
20254 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
20256 @item gnus-info-read
20257 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
20258 @findex gnus-info-read
20259 @findex gnus-info-set-read
20260 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
20262 @item gnus-info-marks
20263 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
20264 @findex gnus-info-marks
20265 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
20266 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
20268 @item gnus-info-method
20269 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
20270 @findex gnus-info-method
20271 @findex gnus-info-set-method
20272 Get/set the group select method.
20274 @item gnus-info-params
20275 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
20276 @findex gnus-info-params
20277 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20278 Get/set the group parameters.
20281 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20282 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20284 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20285 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20286 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20287 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20290 @node Extended Interactive
20291 @subsection Extended Interactive
20292 @cindex interactive
20293 @findex gnus-interactive
20295 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20296 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20297 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20300 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20301 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20306 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20307 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20308 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20309 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20310 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20311 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20312 @code{interactive}.
20314 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20319 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20320 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20324 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20325 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20326 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20329 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20333 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20337 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20343 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20344 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20348 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20349 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20350 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20352 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20353 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20354 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20355 Gnus, that's very useful.
20357 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20358 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20359 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20360 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20361 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20362 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20363 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20364 following function:
20367 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20371 (,function ,@@args))
20375 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20376 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20377 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20380 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20381 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20382 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20384 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20385 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20386 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20389 @node Various File Formats
20390 @subsection Various File Formats
20393 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20394 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20398 @node Active File Format
20399 @subsubsection Active File Format
20401 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20402 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20405 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20408 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20409 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20410 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20411 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20412 no.general 1000 900 y
20415 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20418 active = *group-line
20419 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20420 group = <non-white-space string>
20422 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20423 low-number = <positive integer>
20424 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20427 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20428 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20431 @node Newsgroups File Format
20432 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20434 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20435 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20436 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20439 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20440 Here's the definition:
20444 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20445 group = <non-white-space string>
20447 description = <string>
20452 @node Emacs for Heathens
20453 @section Emacs for Heathens
20455 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20456 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20457 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20458 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
20459 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
20460 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
20461 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
20465 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
20466 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
20471 @subsection Keystrokes
20475 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
20478 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
20481 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
20482 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
20483 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
20484 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
20485 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
20486 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
20488 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
20489 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
20490 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
20491 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
20492 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
20493 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
20494 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
20496 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
20497 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
20498 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
20499 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
20500 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
20501 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
20502 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
20504 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
20505 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
20506 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
20507 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
20508 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
20514 @subsection Emacs Lisp
20516 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
20517 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
20518 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
20519 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
20521 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
20522 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
20523 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
20524 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
20525 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
20526 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
20527 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
20530 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
20531 write the following:
20534 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
20537 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
20538 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
20539 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
20542 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
20543 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
20544 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
20545 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
20546 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
20548 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
20549 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
20550 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
20554 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
20558 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
20561 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
20562 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
20565 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
20568 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
20569 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
20572 @include gnus-faq.texi