4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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284 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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293 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
295 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
299 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
300 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
301 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
302 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
303 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
304 License'' in the Emacs manual.
306 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
307 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
308 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
310 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
311 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
312 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
313 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
321 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
323 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
324 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
326 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
327 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
328 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
329 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
330 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
331 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
332 License'' in the Emacs manual.
334 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
335 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
336 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
338 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
339 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
340 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
341 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
347 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
349 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
352 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
355 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
357 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
358 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
359 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
360 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
361 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
362 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
363 License'' in the Emacs manual.
365 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
366 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
367 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
369 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
370 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
371 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
372 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
381 @top The gnus Newsreader
385 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
386 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
387 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
390 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
391 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
392 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
393 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
394 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
395 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
397 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
408 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
409 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
411 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
412 being accused of plagiarism:
414 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
415 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
416 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
417 can even read news with it!
419 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
420 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
421 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
422 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
423 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
429 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
430 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
431 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
432 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
433 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
434 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
435 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
436 * Various:: General purpose settings.
437 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
438 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
439 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
440 * Key Index:: Key Index.
442 Other related manuals
444 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
445 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
446 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
447 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
450 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
454 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
455 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
456 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
457 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
458 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
459 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
460 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
461 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
462 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
463 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
464 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
468 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
469 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
470 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
474 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
475 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
476 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
477 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
478 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
479 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
480 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
481 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
482 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
483 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
484 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
485 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
486 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
487 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
488 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
489 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
490 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
494 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
495 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
496 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
500 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
501 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
502 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
503 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
504 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
508 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
509 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
510 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
511 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
512 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
516 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
517 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
518 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
519 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
520 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
521 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
522 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
523 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
524 * Threading:: How threads are made.
525 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
526 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
527 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
528 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
529 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
530 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
531 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
532 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
533 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
534 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
535 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
536 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
537 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
538 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
539 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
540 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
541 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
542 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
543 or reselecting the current group.
544 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
545 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
546 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
547 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
549 Summary Buffer Format
551 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
552 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
553 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
554 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
558 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
559 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
561 Reply, Followup and Post
563 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
564 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
565 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
566 * Canceling and Superseding::
570 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
571 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
572 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
574 * Generic Marking Commands::
575 * Setting Process Marks::
579 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
580 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
581 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
585 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
586 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
588 Customizing Threading
590 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
591 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
592 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
593 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
597 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
598 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
599 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
600 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
601 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
602 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
606 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
607 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
608 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
612 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
613 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
614 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
615 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
616 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
617 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
618 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
619 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
620 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
621 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
623 Alternative Approaches
625 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
626 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
628 Various Summary Stuff
630 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
631 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
632 * Summary Generation Commands::
633 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
637 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
638 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
639 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
640 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
641 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
645 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
646 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
647 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
648 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
649 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
650 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
651 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
652 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
656 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
657 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
658 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
659 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
660 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
661 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
662 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
663 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
667 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
668 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
669 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
670 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
671 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
672 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
673 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
677 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
678 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
682 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
683 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
684 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
688 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
689 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
690 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
691 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
692 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
693 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
694 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
695 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
696 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
697 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
698 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
699 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
700 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
704 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
705 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
706 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
708 Choosing a Mail Back End
710 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
711 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
712 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
713 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
714 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
715 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
716 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
721 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
722 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
723 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
724 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
725 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
726 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
730 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
731 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
732 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
733 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
734 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
738 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
739 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
740 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
741 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
742 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
746 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
750 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
751 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
752 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
756 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
757 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
761 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
762 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
763 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
764 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
765 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
766 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
767 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
768 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
769 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
770 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
771 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
772 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
776 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
777 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
778 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
782 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
783 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
784 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
788 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
789 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
790 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
791 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
792 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
793 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
794 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
795 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
796 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
797 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
798 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
799 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
800 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
801 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
802 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
803 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
804 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
808 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
809 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
810 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
811 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
815 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
816 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
817 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
821 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
822 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
823 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
824 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
825 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
826 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
827 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
828 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
829 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
830 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
831 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
832 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
833 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
834 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
835 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
836 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
837 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
838 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
839 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
843 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
844 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
845 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
846 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
847 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
848 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
849 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
850 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
854 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
855 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
856 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
857 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
861 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
862 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
863 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
864 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
865 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
866 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
870 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
871 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
872 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
873 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
874 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
875 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
876 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
877 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
878 * Frequently Asked Questions::
882 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
883 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
884 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
885 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
886 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
887 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
888 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
889 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
890 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
894 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
895 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
896 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
897 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
898 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
902 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
903 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
904 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
905 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
909 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
910 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
911 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
912 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
913 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
914 * Group Info:: The group info format.
915 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
916 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
917 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
921 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
922 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
923 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
924 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
925 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
926 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
930 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
931 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
935 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
936 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
942 @chapter Starting gnus
947 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
948 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
951 @findex gnus-other-frame
952 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
953 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
954 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
956 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
957 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
958 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
960 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
961 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
964 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
965 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
966 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
967 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
968 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
969 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
970 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
971 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
972 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
973 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
974 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
978 @node Finding the News
979 @section Finding the News
982 @vindex gnus-select-method
984 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
985 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
986 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
987 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
990 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
991 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
994 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
997 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1000 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1003 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1004 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1005 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1007 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1009 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1010 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1011 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1012 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1013 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1014 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1016 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1017 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1018 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1019 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1021 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1022 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1023 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1024 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1025 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1026 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1027 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1028 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1029 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1032 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1034 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1035 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1036 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1037 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1038 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1039 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1041 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1043 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1044 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1045 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1046 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1047 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1048 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1051 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1052 you would typically set this variable to
1055 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1059 @node The First Time
1060 @section The First Time
1061 @cindex first time usage
1063 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1064 be subscribed by default.
1066 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1067 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1068 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1069 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1072 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1073 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1074 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1076 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1077 help you with most common problems.
1079 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1080 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1084 @node The Server is Down
1085 @section The Server is Down
1086 @cindex server errors
1088 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1089 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1090 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1092 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1093 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1094 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1095 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1096 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1097 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1098 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1100 @findex gnus-no-server
1101 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1103 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1104 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1105 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1106 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1107 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1108 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1109 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1113 @section Slave Gnusae
1116 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1117 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1118 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1119 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1121 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1122 @file{.newsrc} file.
1124 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1125 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1126 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1127 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1128 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1129 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1130 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1133 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1134 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1135 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1136 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1137 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1138 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1139 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1140 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1142 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1143 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1145 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1146 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1147 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1148 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1149 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1151 @node Fetching a Group
1152 @section Fetching a Group
1153 @cindex fetching a group
1155 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1156 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1157 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1158 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1159 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1160 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1166 @cindex subscription
1168 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1169 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1170 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1171 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1172 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1173 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1174 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1175 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1176 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1179 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1180 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1181 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1185 @node Checking New Groups
1186 @subsection Checking New Groups
1188 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1189 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1190 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1191 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1192 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1193 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1194 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1195 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1196 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1197 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1199 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1200 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1201 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1202 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1203 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1204 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1205 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1206 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1207 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1208 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1209 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1211 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1212 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1213 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1214 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1215 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1216 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1219 @node Subscription Methods
1220 @subsection Subscription Methods
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1223 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1224 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1226 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1227 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1229 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1235 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1236 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1237 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1241 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1242 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1246 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1250 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1251 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1252 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1253 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1254 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1255 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1256 up. Or something like that.
1258 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1259 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1260 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1261 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1262 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1264 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1265 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1266 Kill all new groups.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1270 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1271 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1272 topic parameter that looks like
1278 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1281 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1286 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1287 A closely related variable is
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1289 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1290 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1291 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1294 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1295 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1296 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1297 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1300 @node Filtering New Groups
1301 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1303 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1304 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1305 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1308 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1311 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1312 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1313 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1314 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1315 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1316 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1317 subscribing these groups.
1318 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1319 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1321 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1322 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1323 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1324 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1325 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1326 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1327 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1328 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1330 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1331 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1332 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1333 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1334 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1335 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1336 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1337 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1338 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1339 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1342 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1343 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1346 @node Changing Servers
1347 @section Changing Servers
1348 @cindex changing servers
1350 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1351 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1352 very flaky and you want to use another.
1354 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1355 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1359 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1360 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1361 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1362 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1365 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1366 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1367 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1368 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1370 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1371 @findex gnus-change-server
1372 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1373 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1374 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1375 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1376 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1378 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1379 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1380 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1381 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1382 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1384 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1385 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1386 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1387 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1388 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1389 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1391 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1392 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1393 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1394 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1396 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1397 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1398 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1399 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1400 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1401 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1402 cache for all groups).
1406 @section Startup Files
1407 @cindex startup files
1412 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1413 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1415 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1416 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1417 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1418 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1419 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1420 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1421 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1423 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1424 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1425 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1426 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1427 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1428 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1430 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1431 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1432 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1433 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1434 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1435 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1436 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1437 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1438 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1439 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1441 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1442 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1443 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1444 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1445 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1446 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1447 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1448 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1449 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1450 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1451 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1452 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1454 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1455 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1456 @vindex version-control
1457 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1458 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1459 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1460 If you want version control for this file, set
1461 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1462 @code{version-control} variable.
1464 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1465 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1466 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1467 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1468 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1469 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1470 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1471 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1472 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1473 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1476 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1477 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1479 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1480 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1483 @vindex gnus-init-file
1484 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1485 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1486 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1487 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1488 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1489 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1490 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1491 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1492 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1493 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1499 @cindex dribble file
1502 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1503 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1504 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1505 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1506 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1509 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1510 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1513 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1514 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1515 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1517 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1518 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1519 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1520 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1521 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1522 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1524 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1525 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1526 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1529 @node The Active File
1530 @section The Active File
1532 @cindex ignored groups
1534 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1535 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1536 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1538 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1539 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1540 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1541 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1542 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1543 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1544 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1547 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1548 @c if you set it to anything else.
1550 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1552 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1553 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1554 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1556 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1557 you actually subscribe to.
1559 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1560 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1561 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1562 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1564 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1565 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1566 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1567 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1568 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1569 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1571 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1572 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1573 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1576 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1577 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1578 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1579 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1580 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1581 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1583 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1584 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1586 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1587 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1589 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1590 secondary select methods.
1593 @node Startup Variables
1594 @section Startup Variables
1598 @item gnus-load-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1600 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1601 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1602 times you start gnus.
1604 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1605 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1606 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1608 @item gnus-startup-hook
1609 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1610 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1612 @item gnus-started-hook
1613 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1614 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1617 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1618 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1619 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1620 generating the group buffer.
1622 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1623 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1624 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1625 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1626 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1627 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1628 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1629 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1631 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1632 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1633 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1634 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1635 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1636 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1638 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1639 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1640 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1642 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1643 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1644 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1646 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1647 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1648 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1649 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1655 @chapter Group Buffer
1656 @cindex group buffer
1658 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1660 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1661 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1662 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1663 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1664 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1665 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1666 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1667 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1668 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1669 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1670 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1671 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1672 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1673 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1674 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1675 @c human rights at 9...
1678 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1679 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1680 long as gnus is active.
1684 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1685 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1686 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1687 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1688 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1689 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1690 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1691 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1697 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1698 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1699 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1700 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1701 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1702 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1703 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1704 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1705 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1706 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1707 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1708 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1709 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1710 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1711 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1712 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1713 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1717 @node Group Buffer Format
1718 @section Group Buffer Format
1721 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1722 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1723 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1727 @node Group Line Specification
1728 @subsection Group Line Specification
1729 @cindex group buffer format
1731 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1732 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1734 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1737 25: news.announce.newusers
1738 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1743 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1744 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1745 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1746 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1748 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1749 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1750 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1751 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1752 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1753 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1755 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1757 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1758 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1759 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1760 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1761 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1763 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1764 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1765 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1767 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1772 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1775 Whether the group is subscribed.
1778 Level of subscribedness.
1781 Number of unread articles.
1784 Number of dormant articles.
1787 Number of ticked articles.
1790 Number of read articles.
1793 Number of unseen articles.
1796 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1797 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1799 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1800 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1801 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1802 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1803 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1804 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1805 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1806 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1809 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1812 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1821 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1822 comment element in the group parameters.
1825 Newsgroup description.
1828 @samp{m} if moderated.
1831 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1837 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1843 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1847 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1850 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1851 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1852 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1853 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1854 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1857 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1859 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1863 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1866 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1870 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1871 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1872 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1873 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1874 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1875 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1880 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1881 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1882 group, or a bogus native group.
1885 @node Group Modeline Specification
1886 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1887 @cindex group modeline
1889 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1890 The mode line can be changed by setting
1891 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1892 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1896 The native news server.
1898 The native select method.
1902 @node Group Highlighting
1903 @subsection Group Highlighting
1904 @cindex highlighting
1905 @cindex group highlighting
1907 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1908 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1909 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1910 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1911 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1913 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1917 (cond (window-system
1918 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1919 (defface my-group-face-1
1920 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-2
1922 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1923 (defface my-group-face-3
1924 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-4
1926 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1927 (defface my-group-face-5
1928 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1930 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1931 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1932 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1933 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1934 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1935 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1938 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1940 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1947 The number of unread articles in the group.
1951 Whether the group is a mail group.
1953 The level of the group.
1955 The score of the group.
1957 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1959 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1960 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1962 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1963 topic being inserted.
1966 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1967 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1968 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1970 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1971 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1972 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1973 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1974 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1977 @node Group Maneuvering
1978 @section Group Maneuvering
1979 @cindex group movement
1981 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1982 expected, hopefully.
1988 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1989 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1990 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1996 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1997 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1998 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2002 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2003 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2007 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2008 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2012 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2013 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2014 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2019 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2020 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2023 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2029 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2030 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2031 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2036 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2037 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2038 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2042 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2043 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2044 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2047 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2048 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2049 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2050 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2054 @node Selecting a Group
2055 @section Selecting a Group
2056 @cindex group selection
2061 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2062 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2063 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2064 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2065 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2066 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2067 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2068 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2069 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2070 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2072 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2073 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2074 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2076 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2077 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2082 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2083 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2084 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2085 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2086 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2090 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2091 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2092 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2093 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2094 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2095 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2096 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2097 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2098 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2099 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2102 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2103 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2104 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2105 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2106 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2109 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2110 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2111 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2112 doing any processing of its contents
2113 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2114 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2115 manner will have no permanent effects.
2119 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2120 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2121 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2122 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2123 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2124 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2125 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2126 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2129 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2130 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2131 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2132 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2133 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2134 Which article this is is controlled by the
2135 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2141 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2144 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2147 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2149 @item unseen-or-unread
2150 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2151 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2155 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2159 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2160 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2162 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2163 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2164 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2165 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2169 @node Subscription Commands
2170 @section Subscription Commands
2171 @cindex subscription
2179 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2180 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2181 Toggle subscription to the current group
2182 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2188 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2189 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2190 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2191 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2198 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2199 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2205 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2206 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2209 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2210 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2211 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2212 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2213 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2219 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2220 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2225 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2228 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2230 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2231 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2232 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2233 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2234 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2235 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2236 @file{.newsrc} file.
2240 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2250 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2251 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2252 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2253 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2254 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2255 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2260 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2261 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2262 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2266 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2267 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2268 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2270 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2271 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2272 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2273 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2274 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2275 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2282 @section Group Levels
2286 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2287 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2288 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2289 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2290 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2292 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2298 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2299 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2300 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2301 prompted for a level.
2304 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2305 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2306 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2307 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2308 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2309 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2310 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2311 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2312 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2313 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2314 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2315 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2316 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2317 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2318 reasons of efficiency.
2320 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2321 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2323 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2324 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2325 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2326 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2327 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2328 groups are hidden, in a way.
2330 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2331 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2332 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2333 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2334 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2335 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2337 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2338 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2339 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2340 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2341 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2342 list of killed groups.)
2344 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2345 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2346 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2348 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2349 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2350 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2351 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2352 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2353 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2354 relevant valid ranges.
2356 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2357 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2358 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2359 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2360 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2361 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2364 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2365 one with the best level.
2367 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2368 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2369 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2372 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2373 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2374 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2375 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2378 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2379 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2380 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2381 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2383 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2384 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2385 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2386 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2387 to 5. The default is 6.
2391 @section Group Score
2396 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2397 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2398 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2401 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2402 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2403 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2404 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2405 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2406 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2407 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2408 least significant part.))
2410 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2411 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2412 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2413 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2414 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2415 action after each summary exit, you can add
2416 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2417 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2418 slow things down somewhat.
2421 @node Marking Groups
2422 @section Marking Groups
2423 @cindex marking groups
2425 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2426 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2427 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2428 bidding on those groups.
2430 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2431 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2432 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2440 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2441 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2447 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2448 Remove the mark from the current group
2449 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2453 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2454 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2458 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2459 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2464 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2469 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2470 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2473 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2475 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2476 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2477 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2478 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2479 the command to be executed.
2482 @node Foreign Groups
2483 @section Foreign Groups
2484 @cindex foreign groups
2486 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2487 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2488 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2489 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2496 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2497 @cindex making groups
2498 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2499 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2500 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2504 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2505 @cindex renaming groups
2506 Rename the current group to something else
2507 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2508 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2514 @findex gnus-group-customize
2515 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2519 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2520 @cindex renaming groups
2521 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2522 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2526 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2527 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2528 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2533 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2534 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2540 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2541 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2546 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2547 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2551 @cindex (ding) archive
2552 @cindex archive group
2553 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2554 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2555 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2556 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2557 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2558 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2559 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2563 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2565 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2566 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2567 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2568 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2572 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2574 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2575 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2576 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2580 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2581 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2583 Make a group based on some file or other
2584 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2585 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2586 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2587 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2588 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2589 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2590 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2591 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2592 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2596 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2598 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2599 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2607 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2608 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2609 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2610 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2611 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2612 @xref{Web Searches}.
2614 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2615 to a particular group by using a match string like
2616 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2619 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2620 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2621 This function will delete the current group
2622 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2623 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2624 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2625 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2626 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2630 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2631 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2632 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2637 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2638 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2641 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2644 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2645 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2646 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2647 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2648 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2649 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2653 @node Group Parameters
2654 @section Group Parameters
2655 @cindex group parameters
2657 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2658 Here's an example group parameter list:
2661 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2665 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2666 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2667 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2668 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2670 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2671 is an alist of regexps and values.
2673 The following group parameters can be used:
2678 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2681 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2684 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2685 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2686 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2687 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2688 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2690 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2691 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2692 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2693 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2694 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2695 list address instead.
2697 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2701 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2704 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2707 It is totally ignored
2708 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2709 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2711 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2712 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2713 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2714 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2715 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2717 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2718 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2719 sending the message.
2721 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2722 @cindex Mail List Groups
2723 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2724 entering summary buffer.
2726 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2731 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2732 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2733 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2734 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2735 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2736 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2738 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2739 directly uses this group parameter.
2743 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2744 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2745 of whether it has any unread articles.
2747 @item broken-reply-to
2748 @cindex broken-reply-to
2749 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2750 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2751 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2752 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2753 broken behavior. So there!
2757 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2758 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2762 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2763 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2764 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2769 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2770 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2771 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2772 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2773 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2774 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2775 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2776 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2777 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2781 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2782 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2783 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2785 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2788 @cindex total-expire
2789 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2790 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2791 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2792 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2795 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2799 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2800 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2801 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2802 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2803 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2804 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2805 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2808 @cindex score file group parameter
2809 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2810 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2811 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2814 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2815 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2816 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2817 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2820 @cindex admin-address
2821 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2822 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2823 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2824 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2828 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2829 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2833 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2836 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2837 entering the group with C-u @var{integer}.
2840 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2844 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2846 Here are some examples:
2850 Display only unread articles.
2853 Display everything except expirable articles.
2855 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2856 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2860 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2861 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2862 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2863 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2864 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2868 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2869 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2870 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2874 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2875 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2876 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2880 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2881 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2882 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2884 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2886 @item ignored-charsets
2887 @cindex ignored-charset
2888 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2889 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2890 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2892 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2895 @cindex posting-style
2896 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2897 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2898 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2899 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2900 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2902 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2903 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2904 like this in the group parameters:
2909 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2910 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2915 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2916 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2920 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2921 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2922 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2923 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2924 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2928 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2929 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2930 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2931 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2933 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2934 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2935 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2936 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2939 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2940 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2944 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2947 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2948 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2949 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2950 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2951 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2952 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2953 @code{eval}ed there.
2955 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2956 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2957 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2958 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2959 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2960 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2961 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2962 parameters for the group.
2965 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2966 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2967 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2968 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2969 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2973 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2974 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2975 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2976 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2977 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2979 @vindex gnus-parameters
2980 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2981 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2985 (setq gnus-parameters
2987 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2988 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2989 (gnus-summary-line-format
2990 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2994 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2998 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3002 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3005 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3006 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3009 @node Listing Groups
3010 @section Listing Groups
3011 @cindex group listing
3013 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3021 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3022 List all groups that have unread articles
3023 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3024 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3025 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3026 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3033 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3034 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3035 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3036 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3037 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3038 unsubscribed groups).
3042 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3043 List all unread groups on a specific level
3044 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3045 with no unread articles.
3049 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3050 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3051 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3052 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3057 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3058 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3062 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3063 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3064 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3069 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3073 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3074 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3075 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3076 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3077 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3078 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3079 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3080 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3084 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3085 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3086 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3090 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3091 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3092 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3096 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3097 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3101 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3102 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3106 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3107 List groups limited within the current selection
3108 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3112 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3113 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3117 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3118 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3122 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3123 @cindex visible group parameter
3124 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3125 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3126 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3127 get the same effect.
3129 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3130 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3131 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3132 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3133 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3136 @node Sorting Groups
3137 @section Sorting Groups
3138 @cindex sorting groups
3140 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3141 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3142 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3143 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3144 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3145 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3150 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3151 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3152 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3156 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3158 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3160 Sort by group level.
3162 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3163 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3164 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3166 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3167 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3168 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3169 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3171 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3173 Sort by number of unread articles.
3175 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3177 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3179 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3180 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3181 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3186 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3187 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3191 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3192 some sorting criteria:
3196 @kindex G S a (Group)
3197 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3198 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3199 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3202 @kindex G S u (Group)
3203 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3204 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3205 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3208 @kindex G S l (Group)
3209 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3210 Sort the group buffer by group level
3211 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3214 @kindex G S v (Group)
3215 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3216 Sort the group buffer by group score
3217 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3220 @kindex G S r (Group)
3221 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3222 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3223 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3226 @kindex G S m (Group)
3227 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3228 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3229 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3232 @kindex G S n (Group)
3233 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3234 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3235 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3239 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3240 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3242 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3243 commands will sort in reverse order.
3245 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3249 @kindex G P a (Group)
3250 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3251 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3252 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3255 @kindex G P u (Group)
3256 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3257 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3258 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3261 @kindex G P l (Group)
3262 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3263 Sort the groups by group level
3264 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3267 @kindex G P v (Group)
3268 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3269 Sort the groups by group score
3270 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3273 @kindex G P r (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3275 Sort the groups by group rank
3276 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3279 @kindex G P m (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3281 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3282 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3285 @kindex G P n (Group)
3286 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3287 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3288 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3291 @kindex G P s (Group)
3292 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3293 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3297 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3301 @node Group Maintenance
3302 @section Group Maintenance
3303 @cindex bogus groups
3308 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3309 Find bogus groups and delete them
3310 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3314 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3315 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3316 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3317 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3318 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3322 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3323 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3324 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3325 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3326 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3327 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3330 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3331 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3332 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3333 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3338 @node Browse Foreign Server
3339 @section Browse Foreign Server
3340 @cindex foreign servers
3341 @cindex browsing servers
3346 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3347 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3348 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3349 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3352 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3353 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3354 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3355 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3357 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3362 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3363 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3367 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3368 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3371 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3372 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3373 Enter the current group and display the first article
3374 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3377 @kindex RET (Browse)
3378 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3379 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3383 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3384 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3385 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3391 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3392 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3396 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3397 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3401 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3402 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3403 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3408 @section Exiting gnus
3409 @cindex exiting gnus
3411 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3416 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3417 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3418 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3419 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3423 @findex gnus-group-exit
3424 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3425 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3429 @findex gnus-group-quit
3430 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3431 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3434 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3435 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3436 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3437 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3438 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3439 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3444 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3445 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3446 trying to customize meta-variables.
3451 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3452 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3453 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3459 @section Group Topics
3462 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3463 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3464 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3465 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3466 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3467 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3471 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3472 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3483 2: alt.religion.emacs
3486 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3488 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3489 13: comp.sources.unix
3492 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3494 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3495 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3496 is a toggling command.)
3498 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3499 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3500 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3501 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3504 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3505 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3506 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3509 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3513 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3514 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3515 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3516 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3517 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3521 @node Topic Commands
3522 @subsection Topic Commands
3523 @cindex topic commands
3525 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3526 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3527 definitions slightly.
3529 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3530 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3531 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3532 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3533 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3534 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3536 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3543 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3544 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3545 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3549 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3551 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3552 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3553 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3554 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3557 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3558 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3559 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3560 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3564 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3565 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3566 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3567 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3573 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3574 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3575 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3579 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3580 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3581 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3584 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3585 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3586 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3587 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3588 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3590 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3591 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3595 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3596 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3603 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3605 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3606 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3607 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3608 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3609 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3610 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3614 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3620 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3621 Move the current group to some other topic
3622 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3623 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3627 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3628 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3632 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3633 Copy the current group to some other topic
3634 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3635 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3639 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3640 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3641 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3645 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3646 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3647 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3651 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3652 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3653 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3654 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3655 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3656 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3657 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3660 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3661 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3665 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3666 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3667 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3671 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3672 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3673 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3677 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3678 Toggle hiding empty topics
3679 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3683 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3684 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3686 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3689 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3691 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3693 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3696 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3697 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3698 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3699 expiry process (if any)
3700 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3704 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3705 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3708 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3709 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3710 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3714 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3715 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3716 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3719 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3720 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3721 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3724 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3725 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3726 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3730 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3731 @cindex group parameters
3732 @cindex topic parameters
3734 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3735 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3740 @node Topic Variables
3741 @subsection Topic Variables
3742 @cindex topic variables
3744 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3745 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3747 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3748 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3749 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3762 Number of groups in the topic.
3764 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3766 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3770 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3771 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3774 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3775 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3777 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3778 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3779 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3783 @subsection Topic Sorting
3784 @cindex topic sorting
3786 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3792 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3793 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3794 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3795 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3798 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3799 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3800 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3801 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3804 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3805 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3806 Sort the current topic by group level
3807 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3810 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3811 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3812 Sort the current topic by group score
3813 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3816 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3817 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3818 Sort the current topic by group rank
3819 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3822 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3823 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3824 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3825 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3828 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3829 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3830 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3831 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3835 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3836 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3837 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3838 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3842 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3843 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3847 @node Topic Topology
3848 @subsection Topic Topology
3849 @cindex topic topology
3852 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3858 2: alt.religion.emacs
3861 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3863 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3864 13: comp.sources.unix
3867 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3868 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3869 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3874 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3875 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3879 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3880 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3881 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3882 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3883 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3884 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3886 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3887 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3888 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3891 @node Topic Parameters
3892 @subsection Topic Parameters
3893 @cindex topic parameters
3895 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3896 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3897 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3899 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3904 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3905 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3906 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3909 @item subscribe-level
3910 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3911 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3912 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3916 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3917 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3918 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3919 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3925 2: alt.religion.emacs
3929 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3931 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3932 13: comp.sources.unix
3936 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3937 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3938 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3939 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3940 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3941 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3943 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3944 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3945 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3946 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3947 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3949 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3950 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3951 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3952 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3953 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3954 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3955 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3956 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3959 @node Misc Group Stuff
3960 @section Misc Group Stuff
3963 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3964 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3965 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3966 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3967 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3974 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3975 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3976 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3980 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3981 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3982 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3983 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3984 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3985 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3986 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3990 @findex gnus-group-mail
3991 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3992 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3993 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3994 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3998 @findex gnus-group-news
3999 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4000 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4001 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4003 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4004 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4005 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4006 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4007 for this to work though.
4011 Variables for the group buffer:
4015 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4016 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4017 is called after the group buffer has been
4020 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4021 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4022 is called after the group buffer is
4023 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4026 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4027 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4028 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4029 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4031 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4032 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4033 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4034 whether they are empty or not.
4036 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4037 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4038 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4039 non-ASCII group names.
4043 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4044 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4047 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4048 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4049 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4050 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4051 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4052 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is
4057 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4058 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4063 @node Scanning New Messages
4064 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4065 @cindex new messages
4066 @cindex scanning new news
4072 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4073 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4074 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4075 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4076 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4077 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4082 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4083 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4084 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4085 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4086 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4087 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4088 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4090 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4091 @cindex activating groups
4093 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4094 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4099 @findex gnus-group-restart
4100 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4101 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4102 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4106 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4107 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4109 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4110 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4114 @node Group Information
4115 @subsection Group Information
4116 @cindex group information
4117 @cindex information on groups
4124 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4125 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4128 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4129 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4130 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4131 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4132 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4133 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4134 for fetching the file.
4136 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4137 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4141 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4142 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4144 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4145 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4148 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4149 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4150 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4154 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4155 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4156 @cindex control message
4157 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4158 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4159 group if given a prefix argument.
4161 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4162 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4163 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4164 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4166 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4167 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4168 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4172 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4174 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4175 @cindex describing groups
4176 @cindex group description
4177 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4178 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4179 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4183 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4184 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4185 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4192 @findex gnus-version
4193 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4197 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4198 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4201 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4204 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4205 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4209 @node Group Timestamp
4210 @subsection Group Timestamp
4212 @cindex group timestamps
4214 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4215 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4216 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4219 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4222 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4224 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4225 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4228 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4229 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4232 This will result in lines looking like:
4235 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4236 0: custom 19961002T012713
4239 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4240 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4244 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4245 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4248 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4249 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4253 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4254 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4255 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4256 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4258 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4264 @subsection File Commands
4265 @cindex file commands
4271 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4272 @vindex gnus-init-file
4273 @cindex reading init file
4274 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4275 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4279 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4280 @cindex saving .newsrc
4281 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4282 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4283 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4286 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4287 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4288 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4293 @node Sieve Commands
4294 @subsection Sieve Commands
4295 @cindex group sieve commands
4297 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4298 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4299 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4300 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4301 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4303 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4304 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4305 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4306 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4307 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4308 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4309 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4310 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4311 regenerate the Sieve script.
4313 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4314 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4315 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4316 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4317 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4318 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4319 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4320 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4321 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4322 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4325 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4326 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4331 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4337 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4338 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4339 @cindex generating sieve script
4340 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4341 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4345 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4346 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4347 @cindex updating sieve script
4348 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4349 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4350 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4355 @node Summary Buffer
4356 @chapter Summary Buffer
4357 @cindex summary buffer
4359 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4360 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4362 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4363 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4365 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4368 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4369 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4370 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4371 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4372 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4373 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4374 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4375 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4376 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4377 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4378 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4379 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4380 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4381 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4382 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4383 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4384 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4385 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4386 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4387 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4388 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4389 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4390 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4391 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4392 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4393 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4394 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4395 or reselecting the current group.
4396 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4397 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4398 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4399 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4403 @node Summary Buffer Format
4404 @section Summary Buffer Format
4405 @cindex summary buffer format
4409 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4410 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4411 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4417 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4418 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4419 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4420 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4423 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4424 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4425 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4426 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4427 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4428 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4429 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4430 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4431 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4432 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4433 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4434 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4435 other function instead:
4438 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4439 'mail-extract-address-components)
4442 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4443 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4444 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4445 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4448 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4449 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4451 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4452 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4453 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4454 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4455 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4457 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4458 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4459 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4460 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4461 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4462 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4464 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4466 The following format specification characters and extended format
4467 specification(s) are understood:
4473 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4474 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4476 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4477 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4478 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4480 Full @code{From} header.
4482 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4484 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4487 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4488 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4489 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4490 may be more thorough.
4492 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4495 Number of lines in the article.
4497 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4498 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4500 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4501 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4503 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4505 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4506 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4519 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4520 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4521 replacing the default ASCII characters with graphic line-drawing
4524 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4525 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4526 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4527 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4529 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4530 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4531 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4532 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4534 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4535 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4536 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4538 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4539 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4540 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4542 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4543 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4544 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4546 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4547 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4548 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4553 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4554 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4556 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4557 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4559 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4560 for adopted articles.
4562 One space for each thread level.
4564 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4566 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4569 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4570 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4571 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4574 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4576 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4577 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4578 default level. If the difference between
4579 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4580 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4588 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4590 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4596 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4597 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4599 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4600 article has any children.
4606 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4607 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4609 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4610 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4611 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4612 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4613 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4614 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4617 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4618 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4619 There can only be one such area.
4621 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4622 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4623 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4624 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4625 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4626 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4628 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4629 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4631 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4634 @node To From Newsgroups
4635 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4639 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4640 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4641 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4642 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4643 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4647 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4648 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4649 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4653 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4654 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4657 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4658 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4661 @findex gnus-extra-header
4662 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4663 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4664 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4667 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4671 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4672 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4673 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4674 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4675 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4676 headers are used instead.
4680 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4681 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4682 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
4683 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4684 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4685 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4688 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4689 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4690 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4691 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4693 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4697 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4699 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4700 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4701 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4702 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4706 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4709 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4710 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4713 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4714 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4715 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4721 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4722 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4725 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4726 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4728 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4729 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4730 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4731 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4733 Here are the elements you can play with:
4739 Unprefixed group name.
4741 Current article number.
4743 Current article score.
4747 Number of unread articles in this group.
4749 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4752 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4753 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4754 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4755 and no unselected ones.
4757 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4758 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4760 Subject of the current article.
4762 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4764 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4766 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4768 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4770 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4772 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4776 @node Summary Highlighting
4777 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4781 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4782 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4783 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4784 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4785 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4787 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4788 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4789 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4790 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4792 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4793 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4794 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4795 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4797 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4798 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4799 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4800 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4801 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4802 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4805 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4806 ((> score default) . bold))
4808 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4809 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4813 @node Summary Maneuvering
4814 @section Summary Maneuvering
4815 @cindex summary movement
4817 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4818 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4820 None of these commands select articles.
4825 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4826 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4827 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4828 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4829 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4833 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4834 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4835 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4836 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4837 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4840 @kindex G g (Summary)
4841 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4842 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4843 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4846 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4847 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4848 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4849 to the group buffer.
4851 Variables related to summary movement:
4855 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4856 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4857 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4858 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4859 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4860 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4861 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4862 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4863 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4864 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4865 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4866 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4867 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4868 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4870 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4871 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4872 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4873 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4874 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4875 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4876 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4878 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4880 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4881 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4882 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4883 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4884 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4886 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4887 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4888 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4889 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4890 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4891 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4892 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4893 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4896 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4897 the given number of lines from the top.
4902 @node Choosing Articles
4903 @section Choosing Articles
4904 @cindex selecting articles
4907 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4908 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4912 @node Choosing Commands
4913 @subsection Choosing Commands
4915 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4916 and they all select and display an article.
4918 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4919 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4923 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4925 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4926 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4928 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4929 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4930 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4935 @kindex G n (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4937 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4938 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4943 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4944 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4945 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4950 @kindex G N (Summary)
4951 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4952 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4957 @kindex G P (Summary)
4958 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4959 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4962 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4963 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4964 Go to the next article with the same subject
4965 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4968 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4969 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4970 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4971 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4975 @kindex G f (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4978 Go to the first unread article
4979 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4983 @kindex G b (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4986 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4987 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4988 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4993 @kindex G l (Summary)
4994 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4995 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4998 @kindex G o (Summary)
4999 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5001 @cindex article history
5002 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5003 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5004 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5005 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5006 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5007 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5012 @kindex G j (Summary)
5013 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5014 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5015 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5020 @node Choosing Variables
5021 @subsection Choosing Variables
5023 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5026 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5027 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5028 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5029 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5030 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5031 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5033 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5034 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5035 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5036 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5037 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5038 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5040 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5041 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5042 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5043 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5044 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5045 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5046 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5047 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5048 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5049 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5050 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5051 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5052 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5053 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5058 @node Paging the Article
5059 @section Scrolling the Article
5060 @cindex article scrolling
5065 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5067 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5068 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5069 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5071 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5072 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5073 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5074 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5075 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5076 what is considered uninteresting with
5077 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5078 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5081 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5083 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5086 @kindex RET (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5088 Scroll the current article one line forward
5089 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5092 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5094 Scroll the current article one line backward
5095 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5099 @kindex A g (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5102 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5103 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5104 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5105 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5106 the way it came from the server.
5108 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5109 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5110 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5113 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5118 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5123 @kindex A < (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5125 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5126 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5131 @kindex A > (Summary)
5132 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5133 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5137 @kindex A s (Summary)
5139 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5140 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5141 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5145 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5146 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5151 @node Reply Followup and Post
5152 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5155 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5156 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5157 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5158 * Canceling and Superseding::
5162 @node Summary Mail Commands
5163 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5165 @cindex composing mail
5167 Commands for composing a mail message:
5173 @kindex S r (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5176 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5177 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5178 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5179 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5184 @kindex S R (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5186 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5187 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5188 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5189 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5192 @kindex S w (Summary)
5193 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5194 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5195 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5196 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5197 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5200 @kindex S W (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5202 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5203 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5204 the process/prefix convention.
5207 @kindex S v (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5209 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5210 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5211 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5212 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5213 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5216 @kindex S V (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5218 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5219 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5220 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5223 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5224 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5225 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5226 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5229 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5230 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5231 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5232 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5237 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5238 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5240 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5241 Forward the current article to some other person
5242 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5243 headers of the forwarded article.
5248 @kindex S m (Summary)
5249 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5250 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5251 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5252 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5253 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5258 @kindex S i (Summary)
5259 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5260 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5261 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5262 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5264 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5265 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5266 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5267 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5268 for this to work though.
5271 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5273 @cindex bouncing mail
5274 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5275 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5276 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5277 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5278 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5279 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5280 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5281 very well fail, though.
5284 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5286 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5287 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5288 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5289 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5290 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5291 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5292 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5293 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5295 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5296 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5297 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5298 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5299 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5301 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5302 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5305 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5307 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5308 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5309 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5312 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5314 @cindex crossposting
5315 @cindex excessive crossposting
5316 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5317 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5319 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5320 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5321 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5322 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5323 command understands the process/prefix convention
5324 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5328 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5329 Manual}, for more information.
5332 @node Summary Post Commands
5333 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5335 @cindex composing news
5337 Commands for posting a news article:
5343 @kindex S p (Summary)
5344 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5345 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5346 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5347 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5348 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5353 @kindex S f (Summary)
5354 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5355 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5356 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5360 @kindex S F (Summary)
5362 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5363 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5364 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5365 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5366 process/prefix convention.
5369 @kindex S n (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5371 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5372 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5375 @kindex S N (Summary)
5376 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5377 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5378 message through mail and include the original message
5379 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5380 the process/prefix convention.
5383 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5384 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5385 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5386 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5387 headers of the forwarded article.
5390 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5391 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5393 @cindex making digests
5394 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5395 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5396 process/prefix convention.
5399 @kindex S u (Summary)
5400 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5401 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5402 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5403 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5406 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5407 Manual}, for more information.
5410 @node Summary Message Commands
5411 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5415 @kindex S y (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5417 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5418 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5419 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5420 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5425 @node Canceling and Superseding
5426 @subsection Canceling Articles
5427 @cindex canceling articles
5428 @cindex superseding articles
5430 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5431 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5433 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5435 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5437 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5438 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5439 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5440 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5441 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5442 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5444 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5445 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5448 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5449 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5450 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5452 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5453 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5454 your original article.
5456 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5458 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5459 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5460 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5463 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5464 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5465 have posted almost the same article twice.
5467 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5468 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5469 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5470 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5471 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5472 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5473 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5474 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5475 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5476 canceled/superseded.
5478 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5480 @node Delayed Articles
5481 @section Delayed Articles
5482 @cindex delayed sending
5483 @cindex send delayed
5485 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5486 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5487 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5488 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5491 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5494 @findex gnus-delay-article
5495 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5496 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5497 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5498 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5502 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5503 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5504 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5505 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5508 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5509 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5510 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5513 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5514 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5515 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5516 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5517 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5518 that means a time tomorrow.
5521 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5522 couple of variables:
5525 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5526 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5527 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5528 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5530 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5531 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5532 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5533 formats described above.
5535 @item gnus-delay-group
5536 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5537 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5538 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5539 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5541 @item gnus-delay-header
5542 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5543 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5544 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5545 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5548 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5549 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5550 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5551 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5552 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5554 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5555 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5556 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5557 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5558 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5559 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5560 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5563 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5564 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5566 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5567 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5568 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5569 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5570 argument is ignored.
5572 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5573 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5574 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5578 @node Marking Articles
5579 @section Marking Articles
5580 @cindex article marking
5581 @cindex article ticking
5584 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5586 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5587 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5588 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5590 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5593 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5594 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5595 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5599 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5603 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5604 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5605 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5609 @node Unread Articles
5610 @subsection Unread Articles
5612 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5617 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5618 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5620 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5621 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5622 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5623 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5624 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5625 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5626 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5629 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5630 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5632 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5633 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5634 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5635 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5639 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5640 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5642 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5647 @subsection Read Articles
5648 @cindex expirable mark
5650 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5655 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5656 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5657 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5660 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5661 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5664 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5665 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5666 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5669 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5670 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5673 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5674 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5677 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5678 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5681 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5682 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5685 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5686 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5689 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5690 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5693 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5694 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5698 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5699 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5700 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5704 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5705 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5707 One more special mark, though:
5711 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5712 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5714 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5715 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5716 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5717 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5723 @subsection Other Marks
5724 @cindex process mark
5727 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5733 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5734 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5735 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5736 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5737 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5740 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5741 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5742 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5743 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5746 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5747 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5748 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5751 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5752 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5753 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5756 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5757 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5758 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5759 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5762 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5763 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5764 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5765 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5766 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5767 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5770 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5771 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5772 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5773 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5776 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5777 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5778 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5779 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5780 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5784 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5785 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5786 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5787 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5788 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5789 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5792 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5793 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5794 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5795 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5796 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5797 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5801 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5802 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5803 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5804 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5805 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5808 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5809 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5810 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5811 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5812 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5813 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5817 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5818 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5819 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5821 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5822 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5823 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5827 @subsection Setting Marks
5828 @cindex setting marks
5830 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5835 @kindex M c (Summary)
5836 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5838 @cindex mark as unread
5839 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5840 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5846 @kindex M t (Summary)
5847 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5848 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5849 @xref{Article Caching}.
5854 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5856 Mark the current article as dormant
5857 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5861 @kindex M d (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5864 Mark the current article as read
5865 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5869 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5870 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5871 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5876 @kindex M k (Summary)
5877 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5878 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5879 and then select the next unread article
5880 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5884 @kindex M K (Summary)
5885 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5887 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5888 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5891 @kindex M C (Summary)
5892 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5893 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5894 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5897 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5898 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5899 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5900 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5903 @kindex M H (Summary)
5904 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5905 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5906 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5909 @kindex M h (Summary)
5910 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5911 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5912 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5915 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5916 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5917 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5918 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5921 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5922 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5923 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5924 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5928 @kindex M e (Summary)
5930 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5931 Mark the current article as expirable
5932 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5935 @kindex M b (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5937 Set a bookmark in the current article
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5941 @kindex M B (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5943 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5944 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5947 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5948 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5949 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5950 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5953 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5954 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5955 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5956 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5959 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5961 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5962 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5963 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5966 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5967 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5968 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5969 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5970 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5971 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5972 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5973 The default is @code{t}.
5976 @node Generic Marking Commands
5977 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5979 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5980 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5981 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5982 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5983 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5986 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5987 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5990 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5991 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5992 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5993 to list in this manual.
5995 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5996 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5997 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5998 article, you could say something like:
6001 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6002 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6003 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6009 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6010 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6014 @node Setting Process Marks
6015 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6016 @cindex setting process marks
6018 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6019 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6020 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6021 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6022 commands into the cache. For more information,
6023 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6030 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6031 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6032 Mark the current article with the process mark
6033 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6034 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6038 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6039 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6040 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6041 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6044 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6045 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6046 Remove the process mark from all articles
6047 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6050 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6051 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6052 Invert the list of process marked articles
6053 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6056 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6058 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6059 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6062 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6064 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6065 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6068 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6070 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6074 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6075 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6078 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6080 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6081 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6084 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6085 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6086 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6087 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6090 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6091 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6092 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6093 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6096 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6098 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6101 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6102 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6103 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6104 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6107 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6108 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6109 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6112 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6113 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6114 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6115 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6118 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6119 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6120 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6121 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6124 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6125 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6126 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6127 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6130 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6131 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6132 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6133 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6137 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6138 set process marks based on article body contents.
6145 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6146 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6147 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6150 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6151 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6152 additional articles.
6158 @kindex / / (Summary)
6159 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6160 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6161 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6165 @kindex / a (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6167 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6168 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6172 @kindex / x (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6174 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6175 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6176 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6181 @kindex / u (Summary)
6183 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6184 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6185 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6186 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6187 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6190 @kindex / m (Summary)
6191 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6192 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6193 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6196 @kindex / t (Summary)
6197 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6198 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6199 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6200 articles younger than that number of days.
6203 @kindex / n (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6205 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6207 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6210 @kindex / w (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6212 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6213 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6217 @kindex / . (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6219 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6220 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6223 @kindex / v (Summary)
6224 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6225 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6226 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6229 @kindex / p (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6231 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6232 group parameter predicate
6233 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6234 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6238 @kindex M S (Summary)
6239 @kindex / E (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6241 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6245 @kindex / D (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6247 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6248 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6251 @kindex / * (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6253 Include all cached articles in the limit
6254 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6257 @kindex / d (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6259 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6263 @kindex / M (Summary)
6264 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6265 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6268 @kindex / T (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6270 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6273 @kindex / c (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6275 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6276 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6279 @kindex / C (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6281 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6282 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6283 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6286 @kindex / N (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6288 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6289 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6292 @kindex / o (Summary)
6293 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6294 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6295 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6303 @cindex article threading
6305 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6306 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6307 hierarchical fashion.
6309 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6310 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6311 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6312 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6313 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6314 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6315 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6317 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6321 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6324 A tree-like article structure.
6327 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6330 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6331 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6332 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6333 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6334 called loose threads.
6336 @item thread gathering
6337 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6339 @item sparse threads
6340 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6341 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6347 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6348 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6352 @node Customizing Threading
6353 @subsection Customizing Threading
6354 @cindex customizing threading
6357 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6358 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6359 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6360 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6365 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6368 @cindex loose threads
6371 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6372 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6373 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6374 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6375 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6376 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6378 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6379 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6380 There are four possible values:
6384 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6385 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6386 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6387 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6388 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6393 @cindex adopting articles
6398 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6399 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6400 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6401 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6404 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6405 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6406 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6407 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6408 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6409 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6410 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6411 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6412 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6413 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6416 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6417 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6418 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6422 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6423 display them after one another.
6426 Don't gather loose threads.
6429 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6430 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6431 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6432 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6433 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6434 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6435 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6436 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6437 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6438 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6439 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6441 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6442 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6443 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6446 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6447 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6448 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6449 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6450 simplification is used.
6452 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6453 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6454 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6455 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6457 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6459 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6465 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6466 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6467 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6468 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6473 (mapconcat 'identity
6474 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6476 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6479 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6482 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6483 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6484 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6485 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6486 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6487 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6489 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6492 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6493 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6494 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6496 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6497 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6500 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6501 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6502 Remove excessive whitespace.
6504 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6505 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6506 Remove all whitespace.
6509 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6512 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6513 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6514 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6515 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6516 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6517 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6518 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6519 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6521 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6522 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6523 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6524 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6525 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6526 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6527 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6528 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6529 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6533 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6534 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6535 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6536 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6538 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6539 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6540 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6543 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6547 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6548 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6554 @node Filling In Threads
6555 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6558 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6559 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6560 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6561 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6562 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6563 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6564 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6565 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6566 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6567 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6568 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6569 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6572 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6573 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6574 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6576 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6577 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6578 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6579 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6580 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6581 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6582 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6583 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6584 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6585 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6586 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6587 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6588 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6589 @code{nil} by default.
6591 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6592 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6593 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6594 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6595 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6596 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6597 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6599 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6600 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6601 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6606 @node More Threading
6607 @subsubsection More Threading
6610 @item gnus-show-threads
6611 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6612 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6613 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6614 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6615 slower and more awkward.
6617 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6618 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6619 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6622 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6623 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6624 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6629 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6630 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6631 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6634 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6635 unread, but you get my drift.)
6638 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6639 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6640 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6641 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6642 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6643 threads are expunged.
6645 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6646 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6647 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6650 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6651 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6652 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6653 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6654 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6655 result in a new thread.
6657 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6658 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6659 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6662 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6663 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6664 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6665 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6666 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6667 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6668 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6669 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6670 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6671 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6672 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6677 @node Low-Level Threading
6678 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6682 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6683 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6684 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6685 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6686 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6687 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6689 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6690 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6691 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6692 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6693 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6694 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6695 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6696 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6697 meaningful. Here's one example:
6700 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6702 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6703 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6705 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6707 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6714 @node Thread Commands
6715 @subsection Thread Commands
6716 @cindex thread commands
6722 @kindex T k (Summary)
6723 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6724 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6725 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6726 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6727 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6732 @kindex T l (Summary)
6733 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6734 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6735 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6736 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6739 @kindex T i (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6741 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6742 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6745 @kindex T # (Summary)
6746 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6747 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6748 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6751 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6752 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6753 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6754 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6757 @kindex T T (Summary)
6758 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6759 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6762 @kindex T s (Summary)
6763 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6764 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6765 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6768 @kindex T h (Summary)
6769 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6770 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6773 @kindex T S (Summary)
6774 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6775 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6778 @kindex T H (Summary)
6779 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6780 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6783 @kindex T t (Summary)
6784 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6785 Re-thread the current article's thread
6786 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6787 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6790 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6791 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6792 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6793 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6797 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6798 understand the numeric prefix.
6803 @kindex T n (Summary)
6805 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6807 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6808 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6809 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6812 @kindex T p (Summary)
6814 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6816 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6817 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6818 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6821 @kindex T d (Summary)
6822 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6823 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6826 @kindex T u (Summary)
6827 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6828 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6831 @kindex T o (Summary)
6832 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6833 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6836 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6837 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6838 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6839 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6840 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6841 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6842 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6843 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6844 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6845 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6846 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6847 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6851 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6852 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6854 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6855 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6856 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6857 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6858 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6859 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6860 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6861 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6862 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6863 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6864 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6865 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6866 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6868 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6869 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6870 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6871 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6872 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6873 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6874 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6875 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6877 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6878 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6879 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6881 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6882 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6883 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6884 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6885 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6886 ascending article order.
6888 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6889 by number, you could do something like:
6892 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6893 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6894 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6895 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6898 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6899 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6900 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6901 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6902 which the articles arrived.
6904 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6908 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6910 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6911 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6914 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6915 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6916 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6917 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6920 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6921 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6922 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6923 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6924 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6925 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6926 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6927 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6928 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6929 variable. It is very similar to the
6930 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6931 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6932 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6933 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6934 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6935 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6936 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6938 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6942 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6943 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6944 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6949 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6950 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6951 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6952 @cindex article pre-fetch
6955 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6956 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6957 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6958 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6959 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6961 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6962 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6964 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6965 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6966 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6967 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6968 connection is blocked.
6970 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6971 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6972 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6973 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6975 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6976 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6977 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6978 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6981 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
6984 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6985 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6986 happen automatically.
6988 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6989 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6990 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6991 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6992 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6993 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6994 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6996 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6997 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6998 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6999 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7000 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7001 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7002 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7003 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7004 article data structure as the only parameter.
7006 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7007 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7010 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7011 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7012 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7013 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7016 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7019 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7020 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7021 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7023 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7024 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7025 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7026 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7030 Remove articles when they are read.
7033 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7036 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7038 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7039 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7040 @c from the next group.
7043 @node Article Caching
7044 @section Article Caching
7045 @cindex article caching
7048 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
7049 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7050 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7051 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7052 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7054 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7056 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7057 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7058 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7059 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7060 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7061 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7062 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7063 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7065 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7066 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7067 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7068 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7069 as dormant, and don't worry.
7071 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7073 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7074 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7075 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7076 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7077 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7078 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7079 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7080 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7081 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7082 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7084 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7085 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7086 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7087 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7088 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7089 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7090 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7091 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7092 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7093 not then be downloaded by this command.
7095 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7096 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7097 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7098 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7099 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7100 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7102 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7103 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7104 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7105 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7106 variables, the group is not cached.
7108 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7109 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7110 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7111 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7112 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7113 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7114 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7115 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7116 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7119 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7120 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7121 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7122 where, isn't that cool?
7124 @node Persistent Articles
7125 @section Persistent Articles
7126 @cindex persistent articles
7128 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7129 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7130 useful in my opinion.
7132 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7133 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7134 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7135 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7136 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7137 the expiry going on at the news server.
7139 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7140 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7141 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7147 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7148 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7151 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7153 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7154 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7158 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7160 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7161 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7162 interested in persistent articles:
7165 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7169 @node Article Backlog
7170 @section Article Backlog
7172 @cindex article backlog
7174 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7175 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7176 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7177 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7178 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7179 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7180 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7181 increase memory usage some.
7183 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7184 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7185 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7186 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7187 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7188 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7189 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7191 The default value is 20.
7194 @node Saving Articles
7195 @section Saving Articles
7196 @cindex saving articles
7198 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7199 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7200 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7201 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7202 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7204 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7205 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7206 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7208 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7209 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7210 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7212 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7213 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7214 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7215 deleted before saving.
7221 @kindex O o (Summary)
7223 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7224 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7225 Save the current article using the default article saver
7226 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7229 @kindex O m (Summary)
7230 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7231 Save the current article in mail format
7232 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7235 @kindex O r (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7237 Save the current article in rmail format
7238 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7241 @kindex O f (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7243 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7244 Save the current article in plain file format
7245 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7248 @kindex O F (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7250 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7251 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7254 @kindex O b (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7256 Save the current article body in plain file format
7257 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7260 @kindex O h (Summary)
7261 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7262 Save the current article in mh folder format
7263 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7266 @kindex O v (Summary)
7267 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7268 Save the current article in a VM folder
7269 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7273 @kindex O p (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7276 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7277 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7278 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7279 complete headers in the piped output.
7282 @kindex O P (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7284 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7285 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7286 external program Muttprint (see
7287 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7288 options to use is controlled by the variable
7289 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7293 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7294 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7295 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7296 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7297 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7298 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7299 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7300 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7301 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7302 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7303 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7304 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7308 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7309 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7310 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7311 functions below, or you can create your own.
7315 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7316 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7317 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7318 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7319 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7320 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7321 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7323 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7324 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7325 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7326 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7327 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7328 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7330 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7331 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7332 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7333 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7334 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7335 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7336 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7338 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7339 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7340 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7341 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7342 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7343 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7345 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7346 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7347 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7348 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7349 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7351 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7352 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7353 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7354 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7355 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7358 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7359 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7360 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7361 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7362 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7364 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7365 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7366 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7367 reader to use this setting.
7370 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7371 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7372 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7373 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7376 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7377 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7378 available functions that generate names:
7382 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7383 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7384 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7386 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7387 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7388 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7390 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7391 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7392 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7394 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7395 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7396 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7398 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7399 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7400 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7403 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7404 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7405 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7406 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7407 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7411 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7412 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7413 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7414 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7417 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7418 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7419 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7420 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7421 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7422 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7423 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7424 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7425 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7427 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7428 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7429 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7430 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7432 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7433 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7434 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7437 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7438 lots of mail groups called things like
7439 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7440 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7441 following will do just that:
7444 (defun my-save-name (group)
7445 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7446 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7448 (setq gnus-split-methods
7449 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7454 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7455 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7456 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7457 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7458 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7459 all the files in the top level directory
7460 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7461 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7462 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7463 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7465 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7466 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7467 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7468 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7469 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7472 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7476 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7477 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7478 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7481 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7482 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7483 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7484 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7487 @node Decoding Articles
7488 @section Decoding Articles
7489 @cindex decoding articles
7491 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7492 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7495 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7496 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7497 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7498 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7499 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7500 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7504 @cindex article series
7505 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7506 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7507 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7508 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7509 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7511 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7512 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7513 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7515 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7516 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7517 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7519 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7520 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7521 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7524 @node Uuencoded Articles
7525 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7527 @cindex uuencoded articles
7532 @kindex X u (Summary)
7533 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7534 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7535 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7538 @kindex X U (Summary)
7539 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7540 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7541 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7544 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7545 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7546 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7549 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7550 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7551 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7552 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7556 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7557 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7558 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7559 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7560 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7562 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7563 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7564 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7565 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7568 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7569 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7570 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7571 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7572 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7573 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7577 @node Shell Archives
7578 @subsection Shell Archives
7580 @cindex shell archives
7581 @cindex shared articles
7583 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7584 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7585 some commands to deal with these:
7590 @kindex X s (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7592 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7595 @kindex X S (Summary)
7596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7597 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7600 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7601 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7602 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7605 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7606 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7607 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7608 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7612 @node PostScript Files
7613 @subsection PostScript Files
7619 @kindex X p (Summary)
7620 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7621 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7624 @kindex X P (Summary)
7625 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7626 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7627 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7630 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7631 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7632 View the current PostScript series
7633 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7636 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7637 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7638 View and save the current PostScript series
7639 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7644 @subsection Other Files
7648 @kindex X o (Summary)
7649 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7650 Save the current series
7651 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7654 @kindex X b (Summary)
7655 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7656 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7657 doesn't really work yet.
7661 @node Decoding Variables
7662 @subsection Decoding Variables
7664 Adjective, not verb.
7667 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7668 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7669 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7673 @node Rule Variables
7674 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7675 @cindex rule variables
7677 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7678 variables are of the form
7681 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7688 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7689 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7691 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7692 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7695 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7696 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7699 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7700 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7701 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7702 user and default view rules.
7704 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7705 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7706 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7711 @node Other Decode Variables
7712 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7715 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7717 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7718 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7719 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7720 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7721 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7725 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7726 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7729 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7730 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7731 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7734 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7735 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7736 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7737 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7738 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7741 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7742 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7743 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7745 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7746 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7747 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7748 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7749 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7752 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7753 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7754 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7756 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7757 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7758 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7759 looking for files to display.
7761 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7762 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7763 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7766 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7767 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7768 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7771 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7772 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7773 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7776 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7777 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7778 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7781 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7782 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7783 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7784 decoded articles as unread.
7786 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7787 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7788 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7789 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7791 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7792 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7793 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7795 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7796 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7798 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7799 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7800 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7801 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7803 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7804 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7805 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7806 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7807 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7808 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7809 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7810 simply dropped them.
7815 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7816 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7820 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7821 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7822 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7823 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7824 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7825 for you when you post the article.
7827 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7828 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7829 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7830 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7832 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7833 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7834 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7835 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7836 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7837 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7838 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7840 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7841 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7842 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7843 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7844 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7845 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7846 Default is @code{t}.
7852 @subsection Viewing Files
7853 @cindex viewing files
7854 @cindex pseudo-articles
7856 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7857 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7858 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7859 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7860 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7861 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7862 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7864 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7865 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7866 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7867 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7869 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7870 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7871 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7873 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7874 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7875 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7876 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7877 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7879 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7880 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7881 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7882 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7883 a list of parameters to that command.
7885 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7886 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7887 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7889 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7890 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7891 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7894 @node Article Treatment
7895 @section Article Treatment
7897 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7898 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7899 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7900 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7901 these articles easier.
7904 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7905 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7906 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7907 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7908 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7909 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7910 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7911 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7912 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7913 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7917 @node Article Highlighting
7918 @subsection Article Highlighting
7919 @cindex highlighting
7921 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7922 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7927 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7928 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7929 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7930 Do much highlighting of the current article
7931 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7932 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7935 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7936 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7937 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7938 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7939 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7940 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7941 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7942 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7943 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7944 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7945 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7946 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7949 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7950 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7951 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7953 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7956 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7958 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7959 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7960 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7962 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7963 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7964 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7966 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7967 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7968 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7969 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7970 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7971 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7973 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7974 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7975 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7977 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7978 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7979 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7981 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7982 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7983 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7984 that it's a citation.
7986 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7987 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7988 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7990 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7991 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7992 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7994 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7995 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7996 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7997 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8003 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8004 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8005 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8006 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8007 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8008 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8009 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8010 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8015 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8018 @node Article Fontisizing
8019 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8021 @cindex article emphasis
8023 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8024 @kindex W e (Summary)
8025 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8026 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8027 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8028 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8030 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8031 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8032 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8033 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8034 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8035 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8036 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8037 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8041 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8042 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8043 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8052 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8053 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8054 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8055 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8056 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8057 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8058 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8059 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8060 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8061 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8062 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8063 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8064 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8066 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8067 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8068 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8072 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8075 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8077 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8078 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8079 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8080 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8082 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8085 @node Article Hiding
8086 @subsection Article Hiding
8087 @cindex article hiding
8089 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8090 too much cruft in most articles.
8095 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8096 @findex gnus-article-hide
8097 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8098 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8099 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8102 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8103 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8104 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8108 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8109 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8110 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8111 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8114 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8115 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8116 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8120 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8121 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8122 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8123 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8124 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8125 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8126 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8127 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8131 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8132 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8133 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8134 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8139 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8140 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8141 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8142 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8145 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8146 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8147 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8148 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8151 @cindex stripping advertisements
8152 @cindex advertisements
8153 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8154 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8155 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8156 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8157 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8158 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8159 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8160 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8161 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8162 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8165 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8166 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8167 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8171 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8172 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8173 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8174 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8175 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8176 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8177 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8178 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8179 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8180 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8181 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8184 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8190 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8191 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8192 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8193 customizing the hiding:
8197 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8198 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8199 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8200 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8201 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8202 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8203 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8208 Starting point of the hidden text.
8210 Ending point of the hidden text.
8212 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8214 Number of lines of hidden text.
8217 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8218 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8219 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8220 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8221 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8226 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8227 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8229 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8230 following two variables:
8233 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8234 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8235 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8236 50), hide the cited text.
8238 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8239 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8240 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8245 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8246 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8247 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8248 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8249 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8250 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8254 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8255 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8256 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8258 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8259 citation customization.
8261 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8265 @node Article Washing
8266 @subsection Article Washing
8268 @cindex article washing
8270 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8271 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8273 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8274 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8277 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8278 articles by default.
8283 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8284 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8288 Force redisplaying of the current article
8289 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8290 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8291 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8292 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8295 @kindex W l (Summary)
8296 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8297 Remove page breaks from the current article
8298 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8302 @kindex W r (Summary)
8303 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8304 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8305 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8306 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8307 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8308 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8310 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8311 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8312 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8313 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8316 @kindex W m (Summary)
8317 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8318 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8322 @kindex W t (Summary)
8324 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8325 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8326 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8329 @kindex W v (Summary)
8330 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8331 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8332 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8335 @kindex W m (Summary)
8336 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8337 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8338 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8341 @kindex W o (Summary)
8342 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8343 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8346 @kindex W d (Summary)
8347 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8348 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8350 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8352 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8353 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8354 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8355 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8358 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8359 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8360 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8361 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8364 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8365 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8366 @cindex Outlook Express
8367 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8368 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8369 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8372 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8373 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8374 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8375 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8376 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8377 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8378 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8379 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8380 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8381 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8384 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8386 Repair a broken attribution line.
8387 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8390 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8391 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8392 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8393 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8396 @kindex W w (Summary)
8397 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8398 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8400 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8404 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8406 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8409 @kindex W C (Summary)
8410 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8411 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8412 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8415 @kindex W c (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8417 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8418 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8419 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8420 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8423 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8425 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8426 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8427 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8428 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8429 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8431 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8434 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8435 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8436 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8437 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8438 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8441 @kindex W u (Summary)
8442 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8443 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8444 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8445 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8446 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8449 @kindex W h (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8451 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8452 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8453 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8455 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8457 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8458 The default is to use the function specified by
8459 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8460 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8461 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8462 you can use include:
8469 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8473 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8476 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8479 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8484 @kindex W b (Summary)
8485 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8486 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8487 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8490 @kindex W B (Summary)
8491 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8492 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8493 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8496 @kindex W p (Summary)
8497 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8498 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8499 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8500 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8501 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8502 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8503 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8506 @kindex W s (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8508 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8509 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8512 @kindex W a (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8514 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8515 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8518 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8520 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8521 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8524 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8525 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8526 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8527 lines with a single empty line.
8528 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8531 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8533 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8534 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8537 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8539 Do all the three commands above
8540 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8543 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8545 Remove all blank lines
8546 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8549 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8550 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8551 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8552 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8555 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8557 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8558 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8562 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8565 @node Article Header
8566 @subsection Article Header
8568 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8573 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8574 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8575 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8578 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8580 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8581 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8584 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8585 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8586 Fold all the message headers
8587 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8591 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8592 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8593 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8598 @node Article Buttons
8599 @subsection Article Buttons
8602 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8603 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8604 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8605 button on these references.
8607 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8608 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8609 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8610 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8611 one that handles article heads:
8615 @item gnus-button-alist
8616 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8617 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8620 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8626 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8627 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8628 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8629 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8630 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8633 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8634 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8635 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8638 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8639 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8640 avoid false matches.
8643 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8646 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8647 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8651 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8654 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8657 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8658 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8659 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8660 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8661 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8664 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8667 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8669 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8670 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8671 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8672 default values of the variables above.
8674 @item gnus-article-button-face
8675 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8676 Face used on buttons.
8678 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8679 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8680 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8684 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8688 @subsection Article Date
8690 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8691 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8692 when the article was sent.
8697 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8699 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8700 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8703 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8704 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8706 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8707 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8710 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8711 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8712 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8715 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8717 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8718 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8721 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8722 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8723 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8724 @findex format-time-string
8725 Display the date using a user-defined format
8726 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8727 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8728 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8729 for a list of possible format specs.
8732 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8733 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8734 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8735 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8736 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8737 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8740 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8743 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8744 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8745 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8748 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8749 into wonderful absurdities.
8751 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8754 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8757 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8758 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8762 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8763 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8764 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8765 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8766 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8767 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8768 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8772 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8773 preferred format automatically.
8776 @node Article Display
8777 @subsection Article Display
8782 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8783 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8785 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8786 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8788 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8789 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8791 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8792 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8794 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8799 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8800 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8801 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8802 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8805 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8806 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8807 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8808 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8811 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8812 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8813 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8816 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8817 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8818 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8821 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8822 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8823 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8824 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8827 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8828 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8829 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8830 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8833 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8835 Remove all images from the article buffer
8836 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8842 @node Article Signature
8843 @subsection Article Signature
8845 @cindex article signature
8847 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8848 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8849 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8850 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8851 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8852 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8853 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8854 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8855 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8858 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8859 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8860 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8861 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8862 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8863 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8864 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8865 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8868 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8871 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8872 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8873 signature when displaying articles.
8877 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8880 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8883 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8884 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8886 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8887 in question is not a signature.
8890 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8891 listed above. Here's an example:
8894 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8895 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8898 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8899 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8900 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8901 signature after all.
8904 @node Article Miscellania
8905 @subsection Article Miscellania
8909 @kindex A t (Summary)
8910 @findex gnus-article-babel
8911 Translate the article from one language to another
8912 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8918 @section MIME Commands
8919 @cindex MIME decoding
8921 @cindex viewing attachments
8923 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8924 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8930 @kindex K v (Summary)
8931 View the @sc{mime} part.
8934 @kindex K o (Summary)
8935 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8938 @kindex K c (Summary)
8939 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8942 @kindex K e (Summary)
8943 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8946 @kindex K i (Summary)
8947 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8950 @kindex K | (Summary)
8951 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8954 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8959 @kindex K b (Summary)
8960 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8961 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8965 @kindex K m (Summary)
8966 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8967 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8968 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8969 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8970 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8973 @kindex X m (Summary)
8974 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8975 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8976 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8977 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8980 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8981 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8982 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8983 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8986 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8987 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8988 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8989 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8992 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8993 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8994 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8995 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8997 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8998 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8999 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9000 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9001 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9002 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9005 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9006 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9007 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
9008 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9015 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9016 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9017 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9018 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9021 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9024 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9028 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9029 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9030 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9031 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
9032 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9033 default is @code{nil}.
9035 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9036 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9037 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
9038 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9039 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9040 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9041 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9043 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9044 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9045 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9046 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9047 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9048 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9049 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9050 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
9052 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9053 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9054 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9055 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9056 displayed. This variable overrides
9057 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9058 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9061 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9062 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9063 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9065 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9066 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9067 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
9068 value is @code{nil}.
9070 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9071 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9072 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9073 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9074 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9075 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9076 save all jpegs into some directory).
9078 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9081 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9082 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9084 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9085 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9086 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9087 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9088 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9091 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9092 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9093 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9095 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9096 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9097 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9098 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9100 Ready-made functions include@*
9101 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9102 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9103 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9104 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9105 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9106 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9107 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9108 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9109 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9110 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9111 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9112 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9114 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9115 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9117 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9118 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9119 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9122 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9123 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9124 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9125 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9129 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9138 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9139 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9140 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9141 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9142 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9143 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9144 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9146 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9147 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9148 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9149 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9151 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9152 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9153 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9154 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9155 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9156 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9157 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9158 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9159 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9161 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9162 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9163 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9164 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9165 quoted-printable header encoding.
9167 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9168 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9169 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9173 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9176 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9177 means encode all charsets),
9179 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9180 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9181 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9188 @cindex coding system aliases
9189 @cindex preferred charset
9191 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9193 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9194 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9197 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9198 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9201 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9202 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9204 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9207 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9210 This will almost do the right thing.
9212 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9216 (codepage-setup 1251)
9217 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9221 @node Article Commands
9222 @section Article Commands
9229 @kindex A P (Summary)
9230 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9231 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9232 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9233 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9234 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9235 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9240 @node Summary Sorting
9241 @section Summary Sorting
9242 @cindex summary sorting
9244 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9245 can't really see why you'd want that.
9250 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9251 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9252 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9255 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9256 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9257 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9260 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9261 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9262 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9265 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9266 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9267 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9270 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9271 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9272 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9275 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9276 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9277 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9280 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9281 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9282 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9285 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9287 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9290 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9291 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9292 Sort using the default sorting method
9293 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9296 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9297 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9298 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9299 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9300 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9304 @node Finding the Parent
9305 @section Finding the Parent
9306 @cindex parent articles
9307 @cindex referring articles
9312 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9313 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9314 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9315 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9316 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9317 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9318 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9319 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9320 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9322 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9323 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9324 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9325 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9326 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9330 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9331 @kindex A R (Summary)
9332 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9333 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9336 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9337 @kindex A T (Summary)
9338 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9339 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9340 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9341 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9342 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9343 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9344 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9346 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9347 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9348 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9349 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9350 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9351 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9354 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9355 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9357 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9358 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9359 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9360 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9361 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9362 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9363 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9366 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9367 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9368 by giving this command a prefix.
9370 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9371 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9372 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9373 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9374 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9375 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9378 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9379 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9380 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9383 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9384 then ask Google if that fails:
9387 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9389 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9392 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9393 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9394 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9395 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9396 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9397 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9398 support this at all.
9401 @node Alternative Approaches
9402 @section Alternative Approaches
9404 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9405 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9408 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9409 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9414 @subsection Pick and Read
9415 @cindex pick and read
9417 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9418 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9419 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9420 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9422 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9423 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9424 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9425 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9426 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9427 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9429 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9434 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9435 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9436 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9437 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9438 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9439 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9440 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9441 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9444 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9445 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9446 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9447 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9451 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9452 Unpick the thread or article
9453 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9454 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9455 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9456 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9457 the thread or article at that line.
9461 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9462 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9463 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9464 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9465 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9466 will still be visible when you are reading.
9470 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9471 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9472 which is mapped to the same function
9473 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9475 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9478 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9481 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9482 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9484 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9485 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9486 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9488 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9489 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9490 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9491 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9492 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9493 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9494 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9498 @subsection Binary Groups
9499 @cindex binary groups
9501 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9502 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9503 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9504 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9505 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9506 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9507 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9510 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9511 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9512 command, when you have turned on this mode
9513 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9515 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9516 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9520 @section Tree Display
9523 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9524 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9525 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9526 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9529 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9532 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9533 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9534 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9536 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9537 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9538 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9539 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9540 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9542 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9543 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9544 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9545 default is @code{modeline}.
9547 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9548 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9549 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9550 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9551 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9552 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9553 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9559 The name of the poster.
9561 The @code{From} header.
9563 The number of the article.
9565 The opening bracket.
9567 The closing bracket.
9572 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9574 Variables related to the display are:
9577 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9578 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9579 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9580 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9581 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9582 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9584 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9585 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9586 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9587 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9591 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9592 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9593 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9594 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9595 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9596 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9597 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9598 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9599 other windows displayed next to it.
9601 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9605 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9606 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9609 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9610 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9611 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9612 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9613 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9614 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9615 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9619 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9622 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9632 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9636 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9637 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9639 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9641 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9646 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9647 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9648 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9651 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9652 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9653 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9654 (gnus-add-configuration
9658 (summary 0.75 point)
9663 @xref{Window Layout}.
9666 @node Mail Group Commands
9667 @section Mail Group Commands
9668 @cindex mail group commands
9670 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9671 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9673 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9674 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9679 @kindex B e (Summary)
9680 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9681 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9682 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9683 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9684 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9687 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9688 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9689 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9690 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9691 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9692 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9695 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9697 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9698 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9699 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9700 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9703 @kindex B m (Summary)
9705 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9706 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9707 Move the article from one mail group to another
9708 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9709 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9712 @kindex B c (Summary)
9714 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9715 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9716 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9717 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9718 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9721 @kindex B B (Summary)
9722 @cindex crosspost mail
9723 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9724 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9725 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9726 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9727 be properly updated.
9730 @kindex B i (Summary)
9731 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9732 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9733 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9734 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9737 @kindex B I (Summary)
9738 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9739 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9740 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9741 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9744 @kindex B r (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9746 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9747 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9748 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9749 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9750 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9751 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9752 (which is the default).
9756 @kindex B w (Summary)
9758 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9759 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9760 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9761 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9762 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9763 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9764 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9767 @kindex B q (Summary)
9768 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9769 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9770 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9771 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9774 @kindex B t (Summary)
9775 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9776 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9777 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9780 @kindex B p (Summary)
9781 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9782 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
9783 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9784 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9785 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9786 article from your news server (or rather, from
9787 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9788 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9789 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9790 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9791 just not have arrived yet.
9794 @kindex K E (Summary)
9795 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9796 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9797 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9798 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9799 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9803 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9804 @cindex moving articles
9805 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9806 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9807 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9808 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9809 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9810 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9811 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9814 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9815 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9816 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9817 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9821 @node Various Summary Stuff
9822 @section Various Summary Stuff
9825 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9826 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9827 * Summary Generation Commands::
9828 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9832 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
9833 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
9834 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
9835 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
9836 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
9837 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
9839 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9840 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9841 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9843 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9844 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9845 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9846 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9847 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9848 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9851 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9852 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9853 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9854 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9855 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9857 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9858 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9859 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9862 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9863 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9864 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9865 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9866 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9867 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9868 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9869 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9870 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9871 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9873 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9874 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9875 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9876 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9877 list of articles to be selected.
9879 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9880 the list in one particular group:
9883 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9884 (if (string= group "some.group")
9885 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9889 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9890 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9891 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9892 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9893 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9894 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9895 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9896 buffers. For example:
9899 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9900 '(message-use-followup-to
9901 (gnus-visible-headers .
9902 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9908 @node Summary Group Information
9909 @subsection Summary Group Information
9914 @kindex H f (Summary)
9915 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9916 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9917 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9918 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9919 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9920 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9921 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9922 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9923 be used for fetching the file.
9926 @kindex H d (Summary)
9927 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9928 Give a brief description of the current group
9929 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9930 rereading the description from the server.
9933 @kindex H h (Summary)
9934 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9935 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9936 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9939 @kindex H i (Summary)
9940 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9941 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9945 @node Searching for Articles
9946 @subsection Searching for Articles
9951 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9952 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9953 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9954 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9957 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9958 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9959 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9960 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9964 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9965 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9966 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9967 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9968 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9969 search backward instead.
9971 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9972 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9975 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9976 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9977 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9978 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9981 @node Summary Generation Commands
9982 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9987 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9988 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9989 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9992 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9993 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9994 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9995 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9998 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9999 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10000 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10001 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10006 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10007 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10013 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10014 @kindex A D (Summary)
10015 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10016 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10017 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10018 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10019 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10020 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10021 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10022 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10026 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10027 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10028 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10029 several documents into one biiig group
10030 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10031 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10032 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10033 command understands the process/prefix convention
10034 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10037 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10038 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10039 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10040 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10041 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10042 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10045 @kindex = (Summary)
10046 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10047 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10048 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10051 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10052 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10053 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10054 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10057 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10058 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10059 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10060 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10065 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10066 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10067 @cindex summary exit
10068 @cindex exiting groups
10070 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10071 group and return you to the group buffer.
10077 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10078 @kindex q (Summary)
10079 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10080 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10081 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10082 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10083 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10084 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10085 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10086 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10087 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10088 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10089 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10090 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10094 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10095 @kindex Q (Summary)
10096 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10097 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10098 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10102 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10103 @kindex c (Summary)
10104 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10105 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10106 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10107 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10110 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10111 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10112 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10113 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10116 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10117 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10118 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10119 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10122 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10123 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10124 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10125 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10126 all articles, both read and unread.
10130 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10131 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10132 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10133 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10134 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10135 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10136 articles, both read and unread.
10139 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10140 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10141 Exit the group and go to the next group
10142 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10145 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10146 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10147 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10148 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10151 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10152 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10153 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10154 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10155 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10156 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10159 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10160 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10161 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10162 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10164 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10165 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10166 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10167 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10168 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10169 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10170 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10171 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10172 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10173 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10174 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10175 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10177 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10179 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10180 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10181 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10182 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10183 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10184 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10185 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10186 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10187 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10190 @node Crosspost Handling
10191 @section Crosspost Handling
10195 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10196 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10197 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10198 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10199 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10200 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10203 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10204 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10205 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10206 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10207 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10209 @cindex cross-posting
10212 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10213 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10214 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10215 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10216 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10217 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10218 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10219 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10220 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10221 the cross reference mechanism.
10223 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10224 @cindex overview.fmt
10225 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10226 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10227 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10228 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10229 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10230 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10233 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10234 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10235 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10240 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10243 @node Duplicate Suppression
10244 @section Duplicate Suppression
10246 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10247 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10248 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10249 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10254 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10255 is evil and not very common.
10258 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10259 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10262 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10263 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10266 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10269 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10270 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10272 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10273 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10274 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10275 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10276 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10277 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10278 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10281 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10282 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10283 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10284 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10285 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10286 saw the article in.
10289 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10290 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10291 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10293 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10294 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10295 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10296 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10297 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10298 session are suppressed.
10300 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10301 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10302 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10303 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10305 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10306 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10307 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10308 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10311 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10312 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10313 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10314 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10315 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10316 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10317 to you to figure out, I think.
10322 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10323 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10324 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10328 To handle PGP and PGP/MIME messages, you have to install an OpenPGP
10329 implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface to GnuPG included
10330 with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), but
10331 Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10334 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10335 or newer is recommended.
10339 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10340 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10343 @item mm-verify-option
10344 @vindex mm-verify-option
10345 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10346 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10347 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10349 @item mm-decrypt-option
10350 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10351 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10352 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10353 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10356 @vindex mml1991-use
10357 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for PGP
10358 messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt} and
10359 @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10362 @vindex mml2015-use
10363 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10364 PGP/MIME messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt}
10365 and @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10370 @section Mailing List
10372 @kindex A M (summary)
10373 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10374 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10375 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10376 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10379 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10384 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10385 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10386 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10389 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10390 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10391 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10394 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10396 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10400 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10401 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10402 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10405 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10406 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10407 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10410 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10411 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10412 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10416 @node Article Buffer
10417 @chapter Article Buffer
10418 @cindex article buffer
10420 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10421 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10422 tell gnus otherwise.
10425 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10426 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10427 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10428 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10429 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10433 @node Hiding Headers
10434 @section Hiding Headers
10435 @cindex hiding headers
10436 @cindex deleting headers
10438 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10439 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10441 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10442 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10443 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10444 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10445 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10446 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10447 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10448 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10449 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10451 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10455 @item gnus-visible-headers
10456 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10457 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10458 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10459 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10461 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10462 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10465 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10468 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10471 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10472 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10473 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10474 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10475 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10476 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10478 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10479 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10482 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10485 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10488 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10489 variable will have no effect.
10493 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10494 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10495 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10496 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10497 the headers are to be displayed.
10499 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10500 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10503 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10506 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10507 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10509 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10510 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10511 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10512 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10513 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10514 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10515 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10518 These conditions are:
10521 Remove all empty headers.
10523 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10524 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10526 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10527 @code{From} header.
10529 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10532 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10533 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10535 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10536 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10538 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10539 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10541 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10544 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10546 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10549 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10552 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10553 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10556 This is also the default value for this variable.
10560 @section Using MIME
10563 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10564 while people stand around yawning.
10566 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10567 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10569 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10570 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10571 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10573 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10574 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10575 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10576 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10577 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10578 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10579 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10580 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10581 not existed yet, sorry).
10583 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10584 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10585 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10586 These can't be avoided.
10588 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10589 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10590 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10591 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10592 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10593 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10594 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10595 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10596 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10599 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10601 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10602 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10603 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10604 buffer when there are nobody else.
10606 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10609 @node Customizing Articles
10610 @section Customizing Articles
10611 @cindex article customization
10613 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10614 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10615 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10616 called automatically when you select the articles.
10618 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10619 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10620 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10621 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10623 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10624 for sensible values.
10628 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10631 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10634 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10637 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10640 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10644 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10645 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10646 regexps in the list.
10649 A list where the first element is not a string:
10651 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10652 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10653 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10657 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10661 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10666 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10667 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10668 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10669 considered to contain just a single part.
10671 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10672 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10673 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10674 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10675 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10676 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10677 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10679 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10680 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10681 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10682 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10685 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10686 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10688 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10690 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10691 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10692 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10693 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10694 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10695 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10696 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10697 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10698 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10699 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10700 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10702 @xref{Article Washing}.
10704 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10705 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10706 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10707 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10708 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10709 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10710 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10712 @xref{Article Date}.
10714 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10715 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10716 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10720 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10722 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10724 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10725 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10726 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10730 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10734 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10735 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10736 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10737 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10738 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10739 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10740 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10741 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10742 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
10743 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
10745 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10747 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10748 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10749 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10751 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10753 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10754 @item gnus-treat-translate
10755 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10757 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10758 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10759 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10760 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10762 @xref{Article Header}.
10767 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10768 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10769 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10770 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10771 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10775 @node Article Keymap
10776 @section Article Keymap
10778 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10779 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10780 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10781 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10784 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10789 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10790 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10791 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10792 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
10795 @kindex DEL (Article)
10796 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10797 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10798 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
10801 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10802 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10803 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10804 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10805 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10808 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10809 @findex gnus-article-mail
10810 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10811 given a prefix, include the mail.
10814 @kindex s (Article)
10815 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10816 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10817 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10820 @kindex ? (Article)
10821 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10822 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10823 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10826 @kindex TAB (Article)
10827 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10828 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10829 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10832 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10833 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10834 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10837 @kindex R (Article)
10838 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10839 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10840 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10841 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10845 @kindex F (Article)
10846 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10847 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10848 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10849 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10857 @section Misc Article
10861 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10862 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10863 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10864 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10867 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10868 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10870 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10871 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10873 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10874 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10875 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10876 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10877 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10878 the contents of the article buffer.
10880 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10881 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10882 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10884 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10885 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10886 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10887 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10889 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10890 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10891 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10892 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10893 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10899 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10900 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10901 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10906 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10909 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10912 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10913 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10914 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10917 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10920 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10923 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10928 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10932 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10934 @item gnus-break-pages
10935 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10936 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10937 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10938 paging will not be done.
10940 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10941 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10942 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10947 @node Composing Messages
10948 @chapter Composing Messages
10949 @cindex composing messages
10952 @cindex sending mail
10957 @cindex using s/mime
10958 @cindex using smime
10960 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10961 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10962 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10963 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10964 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10965 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10968 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10969 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10970 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10971 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10972 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10973 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10974 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10975 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10978 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10979 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10985 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10988 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10989 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10990 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10991 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10992 @code{nil} include all headers.
10994 @item gnus-add-to-list
10995 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10996 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10997 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10999 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11000 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11001 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11002 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11003 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11004 confirmation is should be asked for.
11006 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11007 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11009 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11010 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11011 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11012 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11013 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11018 @node Posting Server
11019 @section Posting Server
11021 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11022 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11024 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11026 It can be quite complicated.
11028 @vindex gnus-post-method
11029 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11030 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11031 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11032 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11033 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11034 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11035 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11036 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11037 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11040 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11043 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11044 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11045 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11046 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11048 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11049 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11051 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11052 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11055 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11056 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11058 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11059 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11060 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11061 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11062 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11063 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11064 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11065 package correctly. An example:
11068 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11069 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11070 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11071 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11072 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11075 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11076 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11077 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11079 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11080 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11081 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11083 @node Mail and Post
11084 @section Mail and Post
11086 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11090 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11091 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11092 @cindex mailing lists
11094 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11095 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11096 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11097 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11098 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11099 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11100 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11101 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11102 still a pain, though.
11104 @item gnus-user-agent
11105 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11108 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11109 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11110 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11111 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11112 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11113 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11114 use a valid format, see RFC 2616."
11118 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11119 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11120 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11123 @findex ispell-message
11125 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11128 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11129 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11132 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11136 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11137 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11139 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11142 Modify to suit your needs.
11145 @node Archived Messages
11146 @section Archived Messages
11147 @cindex archived messages
11148 @cindex sent messages
11150 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11151 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11152 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11153 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11156 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11157 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11160 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11161 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11162 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11165 (nnfolder "archive"
11166 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11167 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11168 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11169 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11172 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11173 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11174 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11175 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11178 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11179 '(nnfolder "archive"
11180 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11181 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11182 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11185 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11187 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11188 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11189 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11191 This variable can be used to do the following:
11196 Messages will be saved in that group.
11198 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11199 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11200 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11201 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11202 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11203 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11204 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11205 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11209 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11211 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11212 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11215 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11220 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11222 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11225 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11227 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11230 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11232 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11233 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11234 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11235 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11238 More complex stuff:
11240 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11241 '((if (message-news-p)
11246 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11247 messages in one file per month:
11250 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11251 '((if (message-news-p)
11253 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11256 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11257 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11259 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11260 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11261 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11262 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11263 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11264 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11265 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11266 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11267 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11268 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11270 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11271 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11272 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11273 this will disable archiving.
11276 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11277 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11278 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11279 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11280 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11283 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11284 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11285 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11288 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11289 but the latter is the preferred method.
11291 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11292 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11293 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11295 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11296 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11297 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11298 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11299 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11300 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11301 changed in the future.
11306 @node Posting Styles
11307 @section Posting Styles
11308 @cindex posting styles
11311 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11313 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11314 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11315 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11318 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11319 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11320 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11321 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11322 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11327 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11328 (organization "What me?"))
11330 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11331 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11332 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11335 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11336 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11337 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11338 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11339 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11340 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11341 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11342 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11344 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11345 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11346 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11347 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11348 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11349 @var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
11350 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11351 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11352 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11353 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11354 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11355 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11356 said to @dfn{match}.
11358 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11359 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11360 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11361 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11362 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11363 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11364 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11365 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11366 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11367 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11370 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11371 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11372 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11373 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11374 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11375 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11376 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11377 references chars lines xref extra.
11379 @vindex message-reply-headers
11381 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11382 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11383 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11385 @findex message-mail-p
11386 @findex message-news-p
11388 So here's a new example:
11391 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11393 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11395 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11396 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11398 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11399 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11400 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11401 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11402 (signature my-news-signature))
11403 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11404 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11405 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11406 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11407 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11408 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11409 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11410 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11411 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11412 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11414 (From (save-excursion
11415 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11416 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11418 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11421 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11422 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11423 if you fill many roles.
11425 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11426 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11427 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11428 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11429 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11430 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11431 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11432 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11437 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11439 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11441 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11442 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11445 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11448 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11449 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11456 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11457 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11458 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11459 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11460 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11462 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11463 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11464 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11465 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11466 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11470 @vindex nndraft-directory
11471 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11472 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11473 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11474 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11475 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11476 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11478 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11479 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11482 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11483 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11484 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11485 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11486 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11487 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11488 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11489 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11490 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11491 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11492 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11493 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11494 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11495 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11497 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11498 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11499 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11501 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11502 @kindex D e (Draft)
11503 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11504 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11505 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11507 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11510 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11511 @kindex D s (Draft)
11512 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11513 @kindex D S (Draft)
11514 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11515 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11516 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11517 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11518 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11521 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11522 @kindex D t (Draft)
11523 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11524 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11525 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11528 @node Rejected Articles
11529 @section Rejected Articles
11530 @cindex rejected articles
11532 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11533 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11534 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11535 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11537 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11538 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11539 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11540 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11541 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11543 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11544 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11545 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11547 @node Signing and encrypting
11548 @section Signing and encrypting
11550 @cindex using s/mime
11551 @cindex using smime
11553 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11554 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11555 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11556 (@pxref{Security}).
11558 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11559 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11560 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11561 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11562 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11563 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11564 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11565 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11566 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11567 automatically encrypted messages.
11569 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11570 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11571 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11576 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11577 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11579 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11582 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11583 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11585 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11588 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11589 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11591 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11594 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11595 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11597 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11600 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11601 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11603 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11606 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11607 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11609 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11612 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11613 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11614 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11618 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11620 @node Select Methods
11621 @chapter Select Methods
11622 @cindex foreign groups
11623 @cindex select methods
11625 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11626 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11627 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11628 personal mail group.
11630 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11631 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11632 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11633 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11634 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11635 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11637 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11638 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11640 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11643 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11644 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11645 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11646 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11647 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11649 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11652 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11653 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11654 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11655 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11656 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11657 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11658 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11659 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11663 @node Server Buffer
11664 @section Server Buffer
11666 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11667 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11668 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11669 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11670 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11671 back end represents a virtual server.
11673 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11674 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11675 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11676 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11678 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11679 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11680 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11681 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11682 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11683 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11684 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11686 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11687 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11690 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11691 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11692 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11693 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11694 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11695 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11696 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11699 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11700 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11703 @node Server Buffer Format
11704 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11705 @cindex server buffer format
11707 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11708 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11709 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11710 variable, with some simple extensions:
11715 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11718 The name of this server.
11721 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11724 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11727 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11728 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11729 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11730 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11740 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11743 @node Server Commands
11744 @subsection Server Commands
11745 @cindex server commands
11751 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11752 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11756 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11757 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11760 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11761 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11762 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11766 @findex gnus-server-exit
11767 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11771 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11772 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11776 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11777 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11781 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11782 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11786 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11787 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11791 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11792 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11793 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11798 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11799 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11800 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11801 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11806 @node Example Methods
11807 @subsection Example Methods
11809 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11812 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11815 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11821 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11822 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11825 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11826 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11828 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11829 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11833 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11836 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11837 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11839 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11840 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11841 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11845 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11848 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11851 Here's the method for a public spool:
11855 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11856 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11862 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11863 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11864 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11865 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11866 should probably look something like this:
11870 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11871 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11872 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11873 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11876 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11877 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11878 configuration to the example above:
11881 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11884 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11886 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11887 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11888 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11892 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11893 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11894 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11895 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11898 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11899 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11900 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11901 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11904 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11905 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11907 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11908 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11910 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11911 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11912 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11914 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11916 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11917 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11918 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11919 will contain the following:
11929 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11930 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11931 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11934 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11935 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11936 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11939 @node Server Variables
11940 @subsection Server Variables
11942 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11943 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11944 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11945 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11946 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
11948 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11949 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11950 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11951 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11952 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11953 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11954 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11955 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11956 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11960 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11961 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11962 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11966 @node Servers and Methods
11967 @subsection Servers and Methods
11969 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11970 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11971 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11972 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11976 @node Unavailable Servers
11977 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11979 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11980 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11981 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11982 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11983 actually the case or not.
11985 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11986 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11987 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11988 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11989 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11990 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11991 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11992 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11994 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11995 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11997 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11998 with the following commands:
12004 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12005 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12006 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12010 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12011 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12012 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12016 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12017 Mark the current server as unreachable
12018 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12021 @kindex M-o (Server)
12022 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12023 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12024 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12027 @kindex M-c (Server)
12028 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12029 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12030 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12034 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12035 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12036 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12040 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12041 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12047 @section Getting News
12048 @cindex reading news
12049 @cindex news back ends
12051 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12052 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
12053 or it can read from a local spool.
12056 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
12057 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12065 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
12066 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
12067 server as the, uhm, address.
12069 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12070 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12071 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12072 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12074 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12075 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12076 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12078 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12083 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12084 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12085 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12087 @cindex authentification
12088 @cindex nntp authentification
12089 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12090 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12091 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12092 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
12093 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12094 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12095 present in this hook.
12097 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12098 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12099 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12100 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12101 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
12102 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12103 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12104 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12105 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12106 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12107 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12108 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12112 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12115 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12117 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12118 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12119 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12120 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12121 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12122 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12123 @samp{force} is explained below.
12127 Here's an example file:
12130 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12131 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12134 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12135 have to be first, for instance.
12137 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12138 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12139 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12140 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12141 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12142 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12143 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12145 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12146 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12152 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12153 previously mentioned.
12155 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12157 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12158 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12159 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12160 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12161 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12164 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12165 '(("innd" (ding))))
12168 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12170 The default value is
12173 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12174 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12175 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12178 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12179 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12181 @item nntp-maximum-request
12182 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12183 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12184 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12185 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12186 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12187 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12188 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12190 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12191 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12192 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12193 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12194 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12195 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12196 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12197 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12198 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12199 no timeouts are done.
12201 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12202 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12203 @c @cindex PPP connections
12204 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12205 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12206 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12207 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12208 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12209 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12210 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12211 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12212 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12213 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12215 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12216 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12217 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12218 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12219 @c described above.
12221 @item nntp-server-hook
12222 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12223 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12226 @item nntp-buggy-select
12227 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12228 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12230 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12231 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12232 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12233 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12236 @item nntp-xover-commands
12237 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12240 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12241 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12245 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12246 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12247 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12248 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12249 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12250 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12251 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12252 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12253 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12254 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12255 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12257 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12258 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12259 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12261 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12262 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12263 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12264 server closes connection.
12266 @item nntp-record-commands
12267 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12268 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12269 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12270 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12271 that doesn't seem to work.
12273 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12274 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12275 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12276 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12277 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12278 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12279 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12280 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12282 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12283 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12284 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12285 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12286 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12287 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12288 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12291 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12294 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12295 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12297 @item nntp-read-timeout
12298 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12299 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12300 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12301 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12302 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12305 @item nntp-list-options
12306 @vindex nntp-list-options
12307 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12308 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12309 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12310 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12311 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12315 (setq gnus-select-method
12316 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12317 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12320 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12321 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12322 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12323 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12324 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12325 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12326 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12329 (setq gnus-select-method
12330 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12331 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12334 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12335 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12336 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12337 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12338 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12339 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12340 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12343 (setq gnus-select-method
12344 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12345 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12350 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12351 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12352 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12356 @node Direct Functions
12357 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12358 @cindex direct connection functions
12360 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12361 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12362 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12363 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12366 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12367 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12368 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12371 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12372 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12373 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
12374 you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12375 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}. You then
12376 define a server as follows:
12379 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12381 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12382 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12384 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12385 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12386 (nntp-port-number 563)
12387 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12390 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12391 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12392 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12393 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12394 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12395 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12396 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12397 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12401 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12402 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12403 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12406 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12407 session, which is not a good idea.
12411 @node Indirect Functions
12412 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12413 @cindex indirect connection functions
12415 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12416 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12417 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12418 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12419 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12420 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12423 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12424 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12425 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12426 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12427 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12429 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12432 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12433 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12434 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12435 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12437 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12438 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12439 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12440 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12441 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12442 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12443 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12444 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12447 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12448 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12449 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12450 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12452 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12455 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12456 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12457 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12460 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12461 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12462 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12463 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12465 @item nntp-via-user-password
12466 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12467 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12469 @item nntp-via-envuser
12470 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12471 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12472 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12473 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12475 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12476 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12477 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12478 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12485 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12490 @item nntp-via-user-name
12491 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12492 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12494 @item nntp-via-address
12495 @vindex nntp-via-address
12496 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12501 @node Common Variables
12502 @subsubsection Common Variables
12504 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12505 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12510 @item nntp-pre-command
12511 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12512 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12513 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12514 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12515 wrapper for instance.
12518 @vindex nntp-address
12519 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12521 @item nntp-port-number
12522 @vindex nntp-port-number
12523 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12524 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12525 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12526 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12528 @item nntp-end-of-line
12529 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12530 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12531 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12532 using a non native connection function.
12534 @item nntp-telnet-command
12535 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12536 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12537 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12538 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12540 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12541 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12542 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12549 @subsection News Spool
12553 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12554 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12555 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12558 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12559 anything else) as the address.
12561 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12562 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12563 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12564 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12568 @item nnspool-inews-program
12569 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12570 Program used to post an article.
12572 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12573 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12574 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12576 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12577 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12578 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12579 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12581 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12582 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12583 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12584 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12586 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12587 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12588 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12590 @item nnspool-active-file
12591 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12592 The name of the active file.
12594 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12595 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12596 The name of the group descriptions file.
12598 @item nnspool-history-file
12599 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12600 The name of the news history file.
12602 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12603 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12604 The name of the active date file.
12606 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12607 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12608 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12611 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12612 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12614 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12615 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12616 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12622 @section Getting Mail
12623 @cindex reading mail
12626 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12630 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12631 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12632 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12633 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12634 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12635 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12636 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12637 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12638 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12639 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12640 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12641 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12642 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12646 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12647 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12649 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12650 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12651 of a culture shock.
12653 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12654 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12656 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12657 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12658 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12659 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12661 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12663 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12664 deleted? How awful!
12666 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12667 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12668 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12669 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12672 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12673 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12674 they want to treat a message.
12676 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12677 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12678 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12679 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12680 archived somewhere else.
12682 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12683 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12684 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12685 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12686 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12688 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12689 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12690 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12692 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12693 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12696 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12697 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12698 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12699 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12700 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12702 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12703 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12704 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12705 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12706 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12707 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12711 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12712 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12714 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12715 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12716 and things will happen automatically.
12718 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
12719 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12722 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12725 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12726 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12727 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12728 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12729 like any other group.
12731 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12734 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12735 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12736 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12740 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12741 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12742 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12745 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12746 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12747 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12750 @node Splitting Mail
12751 @subsection Splitting Mail
12752 @cindex splitting mail
12753 @cindex mail splitting
12755 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12756 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12757 to be split into groups.
12760 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12761 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12762 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12763 ("mail.other" "")))
12766 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12767 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12768 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12769 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12770 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12771 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12772 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12775 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12778 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12779 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12780 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12781 mail belongs in that group.
12783 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12784 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
12785 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12786 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12787 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
12788 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
12790 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12791 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12792 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12793 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12794 thinks should carry this mail message.
12796 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12797 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12798 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12799 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12801 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12802 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12803 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12804 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12805 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
12807 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12810 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12811 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12812 links. If that's the case for you, set
12813 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12814 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12816 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12817 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12818 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12819 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12820 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12821 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12824 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12825 Header lines longer than the value of
12826 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12829 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12830 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12831 By default the splitting codes @sc{mime} decodes headers so you can match
12832 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12833 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12834 can be turned off completely by binding
12835 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12836 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12838 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12839 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12840 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12841 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12842 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12843 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12844 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12847 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12848 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12849 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12850 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12851 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12852 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12853 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12854 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12855 month's rent money.
12859 @subsection Mail Sources
12861 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12862 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12866 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12867 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12868 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12872 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12873 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12875 @cindex mail server
12878 @cindex mail source
12880 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12881 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12886 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12889 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12890 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12891 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12894 The following mail source types are available:
12898 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12904 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12905 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12906 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12910 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12913 An example file mail source:
12916 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12919 Or using the default file name:
12925 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12926 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12927 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12930 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12934 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12937 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12941 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12944 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12946 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12949 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12953 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12954 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12955 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12956 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12957 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12958 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12959 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12960 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12961 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12962 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12964 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12965 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12966 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12967 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12973 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12977 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12981 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12982 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12983 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12984 predicate are considered.
12988 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12992 An example directory mail source:
12995 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13000 Get mail from a POP server.
13006 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
13007 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13010 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
13011 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13012 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13013 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13014 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13017 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
13021 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
13025 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
13026 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13029 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13032 The valid format specifier characters are:
13036 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13037 included in this string.
13040 The name of the server.
13043 The port number of the server.
13046 The user name to use.
13049 The password to use.
13052 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13053 corresponding keywords.
13056 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13057 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13060 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13061 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13064 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
13065 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
13068 @item :authentication
13069 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13070 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13074 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13075 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13076 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13077 programs and libraries:
13081 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13082 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13083 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13085 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13086 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13091 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13092 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13096 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13097 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13099 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
13100 default user name, and default fetcher:
13106 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13109 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13110 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13113 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13116 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13120 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13121 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13122 contains exactly one mail.
13128 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13129 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13132 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13133 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13135 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13136 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13137 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13140 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13141 from locking problems).
13145 Two example maildir mail sources:
13148 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13149 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13153 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13158 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13159 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13160 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13161 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13164 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
13165 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13171 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13172 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13175 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13176 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13179 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13183 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13187 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13188 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13189 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13190 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13192 @item :authentication
13193 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13194 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13195 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13196 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13199 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13200 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13201 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13207 The valid format specifier characters are:
13211 The name of the server.
13214 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13217 The port number of the server.
13220 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13221 corresponding keywords.
13224 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13225 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13228 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13229 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13230 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13231 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13232 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13233 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13236 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13237 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13238 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13239 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13242 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13243 after finishing the fetch.
13247 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13250 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13252 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13256 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13257 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13258 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13260 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13261 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13263 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13269 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13270 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13273 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13277 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13281 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13282 folder after finishing the fetch.
13286 An example webmail source:
13289 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13291 :password "secret")
13296 @item Common Keywords
13297 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13303 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13304 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13308 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13313 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13314 useful when you use local mail and news.
13319 @subsubsection Function Interface
13321 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13322 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13323 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13324 consider the following mail-source setting:
13327 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13328 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13331 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13332 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13333 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13334 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13335 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13337 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13340 @node Mail Source Customization
13341 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13343 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13344 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13348 @item mail-source-crash-box
13349 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13350 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13351 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13353 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13354 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13355 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13356 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13357 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13358 (This will only happen, when reveiving new mail). You may also set
13359 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13360 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13362 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13363 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13364 If @code{non-nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13365 files. This variable only applies when
13366 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13368 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13369 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13370 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13372 @item mail-source-directory
13373 @vindex mail-source-directory
13374 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13375 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13376 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13379 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13380 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13381 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13382 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13383 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13384 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13386 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13387 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13388 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13390 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13391 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13392 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13393 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13398 @node Fetching Mail
13399 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13401 @vindex mail-sources
13402 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13403 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13404 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13405 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13407 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13408 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13411 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13412 mail server, you'd say something like:
13417 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13418 :password "secret")))
13421 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13425 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13426 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13429 :password "secret")))
13433 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13434 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13435 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13436 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13437 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13438 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13442 @node Mail Back End Variables
13443 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13445 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13449 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13450 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13451 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13452 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13454 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13455 @item nnmail-split-hook
13456 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13457 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13458 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13459 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13460 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13461 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13462 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13463 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13464 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13467 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13468 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13469 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13470 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13471 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13472 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13473 starting to handle the new mail) and
13474 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13475 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13476 default file modes the new mail files get:
13479 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13480 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13482 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13483 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13486 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13487 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13488 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13489 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13490 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13491 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13492 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13494 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13495 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13496 @findex delete-file
13497 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13499 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13500 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13501 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13502 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13503 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13505 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13506 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13507 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13508 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13509 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13511 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13512 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13513 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13518 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13519 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13520 @cindex mail splitting
13521 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13523 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13524 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13525 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13526 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13527 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13528 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13530 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13533 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13534 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13535 ;; from real errors.
13536 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13538 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13539 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13540 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13541 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13542 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13543 ;; Other mailing lists...
13544 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13545 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13546 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13547 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13548 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13549 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13550 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13551 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13553 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13554 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13558 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13559 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13560 the five possible split syntaxes:
13565 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13566 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13570 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13571 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13572 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13573 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13574 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13575 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13576 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13577 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13580 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13581 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13582 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13583 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13586 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13587 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13590 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13591 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13594 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13595 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13596 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13597 function should return a @var{split}.
13600 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13601 body of the messages:
13604 (defun split-on-body ()
13606 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13607 (goto-char (point-min))
13608 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13612 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13613 when the @code{:} function is run.
13616 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
13617 first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
13618 @var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
13619 as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
13622 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13626 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13627 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13628 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13629 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13630 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13632 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13633 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13634 are expanded as specified by the variable
13635 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13636 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13639 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13640 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13641 when all this splitting is performed.
13643 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13644 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13645 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13648 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13651 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13652 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13654 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13655 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13656 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13657 groupings 1 through 9.
13659 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13660 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13661 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13662 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13663 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13664 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13665 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13666 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13667 it once per thread.
13669 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13670 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13671 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13674 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13675 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13677 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13678 ;; other splits go here
13682 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13683 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13684 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13685 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13686 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13687 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13688 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13689 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13690 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13691 unless the group name matches the regexp
13692 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13693 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13694 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13695 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13696 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13697 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13698 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13699 messages goes into the new group.
13701 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13702 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13703 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13704 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13705 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13709 @node Group Mail Splitting
13710 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13711 @cindex mail splitting
13712 @cindex group mail splitting
13714 @findex gnus-group-split
13715 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13716 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13717 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13718 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13719 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13720 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13721 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13722 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13724 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13725 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13726 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13727 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13729 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13730 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13731 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13732 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13733 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13734 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13735 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13737 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13738 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13739 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13740 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13741 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13742 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13743 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13745 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13746 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13747 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13748 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13749 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13750 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13751 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13752 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13753 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13754 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13755 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13756 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13757 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13759 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13764 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13765 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13767 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13768 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13769 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13770 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13772 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13775 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13776 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13777 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13780 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13781 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13782 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13786 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13787 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13788 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13792 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13795 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13796 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13797 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13798 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13799 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13800 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13801 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13802 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13803 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13805 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13806 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13807 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13808 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13809 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13810 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13811 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13812 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13813 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13815 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13816 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13817 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13818 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13819 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13820 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13823 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13826 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13827 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13828 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13829 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13830 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13833 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13834 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13835 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13836 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13838 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13839 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13840 @cindex incorporating old mail
13841 @cindex import old mail
13843 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13844 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13845 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13848 Doing so can be quite easy.
13850 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13851 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13852 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13853 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13854 your @code{nnml} groups.
13860 Go to the group buffer.
13863 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13864 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13867 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
13870 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13871 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13874 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13875 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13878 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13879 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13880 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13881 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13882 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13884 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13885 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13886 using the new mail back end.
13889 @node Expiring Mail
13890 @subsection Expiring Mail
13891 @cindex article expiry
13893 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13894 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13895 different approach to mail reading.
13897 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13898 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13899 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13900 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13901 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13902 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13905 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13906 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13907 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13908 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13909 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13910 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13911 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13912 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13913 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13915 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13916 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13917 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13918 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13919 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13920 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13921 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13924 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13925 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13926 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13927 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13928 into its own group.)
13930 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13931 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13932 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13933 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13934 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13935 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13936 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13937 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13940 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13941 Groups that match the regular expression
13942 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13943 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13944 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13946 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13947 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13948 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13949 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13950 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13952 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13954 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13955 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13956 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13959 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13960 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13961 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13962 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13963 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13965 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13966 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13969 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13970 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13973 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13974 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13976 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13977 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13978 don't really mix very well.
13980 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13981 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13982 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13983 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13986 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13987 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13988 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13989 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13992 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13994 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13996 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13998 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14000 ((string= group "important")
14006 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14007 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14009 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14010 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14011 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14014 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14015 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14017 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14018 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14019 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14020 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14021 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14022 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14023 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14024 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14025 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14026 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14027 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14028 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
14029 name or @code{delete}.
14031 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14033 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14036 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14037 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14038 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14039 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14040 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14043 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14044 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14045 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14046 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14047 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14050 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14051 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14052 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14053 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14054 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14055 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14057 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14058 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14059 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14060 easier for procmail users.
14062 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14063 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14064 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14065 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14066 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14067 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14068 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14069 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14070 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14071 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14072 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14073 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14074 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14077 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14079 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14080 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14081 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14082 auto-expire turned on.
14086 @subsection Washing Mail
14087 @cindex mail washing
14088 @cindex list server brain damage
14089 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14091 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14092 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14093 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14094 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14095 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14096 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14098 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14099 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14100 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14103 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14104 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14105 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14106 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14109 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14110 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14111 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14112 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14113 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14116 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14117 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14118 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14119 Emacs running on MS machines.
14123 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14124 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14125 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14126 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14129 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14130 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14131 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14132 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14134 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14135 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14136 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14137 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14138 into a feature by documenting it.)
14140 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14141 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14142 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14143 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14144 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14145 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14146 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14149 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14150 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14153 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14154 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14157 This can also be done non-destructively with
14158 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14160 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14161 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14162 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14164 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14165 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14167 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14168 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14169 @code{References} headers.
14173 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14174 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14175 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14179 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14180 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14181 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14188 @subsection Duplicates
14190 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14191 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14192 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14193 @cindex duplicate mails
14194 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14195 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14196 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14197 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14198 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14199 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14200 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14201 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14202 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14203 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14204 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14205 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14206 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14208 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14209 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14210 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14211 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14213 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14216 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14217 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14221 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14222 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14223 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14224 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14225 (any mail "mail.misc")
14232 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14233 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14238 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14239 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14240 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14241 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14242 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14245 @node Not Reading Mail
14246 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14248 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14249 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14250 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14252 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14253 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14254 mail, which should help.
14256 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14257 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14258 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14259 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14260 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14261 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14262 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14263 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14264 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14265 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14266 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14268 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14269 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14273 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14274 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14276 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14277 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14278 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14280 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14281 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14282 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14286 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14287 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14288 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14289 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14290 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14291 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14292 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14296 @node Unix Mail Box
14297 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14299 @cindex unix mail box
14301 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14302 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14303 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14304 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14305 which group it belongs in.
14307 Virtual server settings:
14310 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14311 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14312 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14315 @item nnmbox-active-file
14316 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14317 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14318 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14320 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14321 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14322 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14323 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14328 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14332 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14333 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14334 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14335 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14336 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14338 Virtual server settings:
14341 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14342 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14343 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14345 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14346 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14347 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14348 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14350 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14351 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14352 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14358 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14360 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14362 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14363 format. It should be used with some caution.
14365 @vindex nnml-directory
14366 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14367 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14368 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14369 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14371 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14374 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14375 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14376 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14377 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14378 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14379 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14380 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14381 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14383 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14384 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14385 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14386 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14388 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14390 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14391 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14392 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14393 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14394 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14395 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14396 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14397 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14400 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14401 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14402 them next time it starts.
14404 Virtual server settings:
14407 @item nnml-directory
14408 @vindex nnml-directory
14409 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14410 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14413 @item nnml-active-file
14414 @vindex nnml-active-file
14415 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14416 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14418 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14419 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14420 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14421 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14423 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14424 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14425 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14428 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14429 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14430 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14431 default is @code{nil}.
14433 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14434 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14435 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14437 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14438 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14439 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14441 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14442 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14443 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14444 default is @code{nil}.
14446 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14447 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14448 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14450 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14451 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14452 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14457 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14458 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14459 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14460 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14461 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14462 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14463 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14468 @subsubsection MH Spool
14470 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14472 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14473 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14474 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14475 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14477 Virtual server settings:
14480 @item nnmh-directory
14481 @vindex nnmh-directory
14482 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14483 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14486 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14487 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14488 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14492 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14493 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14494 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14495 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14496 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14497 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14498 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14503 @subsubsection Maildir
14507 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14508 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14509 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14510 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14511 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14514 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14515 reading, without needing locks. With other backends, you would have
14516 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14517 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14518 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14519 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14522 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14523 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14524 data in the filesystem.
14526 nnmaildir stores article marks and NOV data in each maildir. So you
14527 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14530 Virtual server settings:
14534 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14535 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14536 symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a directory
14537 already used for other purposes). You could also put maildirs
14538 themselves (instead of symlinks to them) directly in the server
14539 directory, but that would break @code{nnmaildir-request-delete-group},
14540 so you wouldn't be able to delete those groups from within Gnus. (You
14541 could still delete them from your shell with @code{rm -r foo}.) Each
14542 maildir will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
14543 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
14544 in the directory starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is
14545 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
14546 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
14547 nnmaildir notices at these times.
14549 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14550 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14551 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14552 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14553 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14554 don't worry - a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14555 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using @file{~/Mail}
14556 or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus use that
14557 directory by default for various things, and may get confused if
14558 nnmaildir uses it too. @file{~/.nnmaildir} is a typical value.
14560 @item create-directory
14561 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14562 @code{expand-file-name} to get the name of the directory where new
14563 maildirs are created. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the server
14564 is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is closed.
14565 This parameter is optional, but if you do not supply it, you cannot
14566 create new groups from within Gnus. (You could still create them from
14567 your shell with @code{mkdir -m 0700 foo foo/tmp foo/new foo/cur}.) A
14568 relative path is interpreted as relative to the @code{directory} path.
14569 @code{create-directory} and @code{directory} must be different;
14570 otherwise, group creation and deletion will break. (If you don't need
14571 those features, you can omit @code{create-directory} entirely.)
14573 @item directory-files
14574 This should be a function with the same interface as
14575 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14576 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14577 parameter is optional; the default is
14578 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14579 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14580 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14581 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14582 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14583 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14586 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14587 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14588 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14589 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14590 value is @code{nil}.
14592 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14593 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14594 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14595 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14596 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14599 @subsubsection Group parameters
14601 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14602 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14603 behavior for other mail backends: articles are deleted after one week,
14604 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14605 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14606 duplicate the behavior you already have with another backend.
14608 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14609 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14610 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14611 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14612 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14613 backends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14614 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14615 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14616 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14620 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14621 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14622 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14623 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14624 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overridable by
14625 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14626 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14627 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14628 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14629 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14630 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14631 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14634 If this is set to a string (a full Gnus group name, like
14635 @code{"backend+server.address.string:group.name"}), and if it is not
14636 the name of the same group that the parameter belongs to, then
14637 articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry before
14638 being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14639 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14640 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the destination
14644 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
14645 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
14646 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
14647 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
14648 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
14649 directory of another maildir - e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
14650 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
14651 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
14652 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
14653 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
14654 extra copies of the articles.
14656 @item directory-files
14657 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
14658 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
14659 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
14660 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
14663 A list of mark symbols, such as
14664 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
14665 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
14666 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
14667 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
14668 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14669 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14672 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
14673 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
14674 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
14675 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
14676 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
14677 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14678 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14680 @item nov-cache-size
14681 An integer specifying the size of the NOV memory cache. To speed
14682 things up, nnmaildir keeps NOV data in memory for a limited number of
14683 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
14684 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
14685 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened - i.e.,
14686 when you first start Gnus, typically. The NOV cache is never resized
14687 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
14688 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
14689 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
14690 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
14693 @subsubsection Article identification
14694 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
14695 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
14696 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
14697 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
14698 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
14699 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
14700 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
14701 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
14702 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
14703 request the article in the summary buffer.
14705 @subsubsection NOV data
14706 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its NOV data (used to
14707 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
14708 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
14709 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
14710 need for it - an article's NOV data is updated automatically when the
14711 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
14712 nnmaildir to regenerate the NOV data for a single article simply by
14713 deleting the corresponding NOV file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
14714 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
14715 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
14717 @subsubsection Article marks
14718 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
14719 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
14720 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
14721 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
14722 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
14723 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
14724 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
14725 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
14727 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
14728 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
14729 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
14730 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
14731 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
14732 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
14733 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
14734 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
14735 changes, and might undo them.
14739 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14741 @cindex mbox folders
14742 @cindex mail folders
14744 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14745 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14746 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14749 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14751 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14752 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14753 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14754 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14755 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14756 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14757 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14758 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14759 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14760 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14762 Virtual server settings:
14765 @item nnfolder-directory
14766 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14767 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14768 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14771 @item nnfolder-active-file
14772 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14773 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14775 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14776 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14777 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14778 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
14780 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14781 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14782 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14785 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14786 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14787 @cindex backup files
14788 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14789 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14790 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14791 your @file{.emacs} file:
14794 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14795 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14797 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14800 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14801 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14802 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14803 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14804 extract some information from it before removing it.
14806 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14807 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14808 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14809 default is @code{nil}.
14811 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14812 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14813 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14815 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14816 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14817 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14818 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14820 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14821 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14822 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14823 default is @code{nil}.
14825 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14826 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14827 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14829 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14830 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14831 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14832 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14837 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14838 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14839 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14840 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14841 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14842 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14845 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14846 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14848 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14849 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14850 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14851 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14852 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14854 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14855 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14856 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14857 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14858 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14859 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14860 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14861 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14864 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14865 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14866 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14867 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14872 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14873 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14874 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14875 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14876 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14877 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14878 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14879 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14880 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14881 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14882 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14883 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14884 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14889 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14890 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14891 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14892 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14893 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14894 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14895 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14896 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14897 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14898 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14899 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14900 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14901 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14902 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14904 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14905 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14910 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14911 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14912 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14913 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14914 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14915 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14916 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14917 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14918 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14919 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14920 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14921 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14922 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14923 provided by the active file and overviews.
14925 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14926 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14927 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14928 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14929 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14932 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14933 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14938 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14939 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14940 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14941 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14942 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14943 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14944 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14948 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14949 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14950 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14951 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14952 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14953 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14954 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14955 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14956 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14958 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14959 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14960 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14961 friendly mail back end all over.
14965 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14966 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14967 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14968 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14969 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14970 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14971 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14972 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14975 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14976 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14977 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14978 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14979 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14980 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14981 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14982 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14983 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14984 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
14985 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
14987 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14988 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14989 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14990 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14991 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14994 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14995 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14997 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14998 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14999 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15000 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15001 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15002 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15003 removed in the future.
15005 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15006 back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster, depending in
15007 part on your file system.
15009 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15010 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15015 @node Browsing the Web
15016 @section Browsing the Web
15018 @cindex browsing the web
15022 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15023 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15024 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15025 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15026 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15027 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15028 even know what a news group is.
15030 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15031 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15032 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15033 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15034 you mad in the end.
15036 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15039 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15040 interfaces to these sources.
15044 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15045 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15046 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15047 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15048 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15049 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15052 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15054 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15055 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
15056 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15057 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15058 though, you should be ok.
15060 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15061 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15062 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15063 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15064 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15066 @node Archiving Mail
15067 @subsection Archiving Mail
15068 @cindex archiving mail
15069 @cindex backup of mail
15071 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15072 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15073 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15074 marks is fairly simple.
15076 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15077 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15080 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15081 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15082 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15083 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15084 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15085 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15086 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15087 before you restore the data.
15089 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15090 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15091 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15092 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15093 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15094 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15095 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15096 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15097 is unnecessary in that case.
15100 @subsection Web Searches
15105 @cindex Usenet searches
15106 @cindex searching the Usenet
15108 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15109 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15110 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15111 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15112 searches without having to use a browser.
15114 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15115 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15116 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15117 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15118 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15120 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15121 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15122 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15123 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15124 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15125 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15126 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15127 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15128 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15129 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15132 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15133 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15134 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15135 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15136 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15137 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15139 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15140 to use @code{nnweb}.
15142 Virtual server variables:
15147 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15148 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15149 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15152 @vindex nnweb-search
15153 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15155 @item nnweb-max-hits
15156 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15157 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15160 @item nnweb-type-definition
15161 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15162 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15163 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15168 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15172 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15175 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15178 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15182 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15189 @subsection Slashdot
15193 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
15194 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15195 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15197 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15198 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
15201 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15202 '((nnslashdot "")))
15205 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15206 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15207 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15208 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15209 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15212 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15213 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15215 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15216 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
15217 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15218 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15219 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
15220 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15223 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15226 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15227 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15228 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15229 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15230 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15231 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15232 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15234 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15235 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15236 The login name to use when posting.
15238 @item nnslashdot-password
15239 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15240 The password to use when posting.
15242 @item nnslashdot-directory
15243 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15244 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15245 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15247 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15248 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15249 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15250 news articles and comments. The default is
15251 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15253 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15254 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15255 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15257 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15259 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15260 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15261 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15263 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15265 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15266 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15267 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15269 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15270 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15271 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15272 updated. The default is 0.
15279 @subsection Ultimate
15281 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15283 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
15284 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15285 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15286 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15288 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15289 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15290 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15291 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15292 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15293 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15294 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15296 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15299 @item nnultimate-directory
15300 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15301 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
15302 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15307 @subsection Web Archive
15309 @cindex Web Archive
15311 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15312 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15313 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15314 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15317 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15318 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15319 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15320 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
15321 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
15322 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15323 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15324 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15326 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15329 @item nnwarchive-directory
15330 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15331 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
15332 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15334 @item nnwarchive-login
15335 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15336 The account name on the web server.
15338 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15339 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15340 The password for your account on the web server.
15348 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15349 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15350 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15353 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15354 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15357 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15360 @item nnrss-directory
15361 @vindex nnrss-directory
15362 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15363 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15367 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15368 the summary buffer.
15371 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15372 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15374 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15376 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15377 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15380 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15383 (require 'browse-url)
15385 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15387 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15390 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15391 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15394 (browse-url (cdr url))
15395 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15396 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15398 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15399 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15400 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15401 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15404 @node Customizing w3
15405 @subsection Customizing w3
15411 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15412 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15413 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15415 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15416 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15417 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15420 (eval-after-load "w3"
15422 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15423 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15424 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15425 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15427 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15430 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15431 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15440 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15441 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15442 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15443 specify the network address of the server.
15445 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15446 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15447 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15448 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15449 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15451 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15452 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15453 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15454 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15456 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15457 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15458 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15459 usage explained in this section.
15461 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15462 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15463 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15466 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15467 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15468 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15470 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15471 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15472 ; a UW server running on localhost
15474 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15475 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15476 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15477 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15478 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15479 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15480 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15481 (nnimap-stream network))
15482 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15484 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15485 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15486 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15489 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15490 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15491 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15492 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15494 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15499 @item nnimap-address
15500 @vindex nnimap-address
15502 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15503 server name if not specified.
15505 @item nnimap-server-port
15506 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15507 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15509 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15512 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15513 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15516 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15517 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15518 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15519 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15520 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15521 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15522 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15524 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15525 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15526 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15529 Example server specification:
15532 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15533 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15534 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15537 @item nnimap-stream
15538 @vindex nnimap-stream
15539 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15540 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15541 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15542 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15544 Example server specification:
15547 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15548 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15551 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15555 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15556 @samp{imtest} program.
15558 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15560 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15561 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15564 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15565 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15567 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15569 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15572 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15573 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15574 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15575 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15576 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15577 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15578 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15579 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15580 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15583 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15584 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15585 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15586 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15587 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15588 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15589 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15592 @vindex imap-shell-program
15593 @vindex imap-shell-host
15594 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15595 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15597 @item nnimap-authenticator
15598 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15600 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15601 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15603 Example server specification:
15606 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15607 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15610 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15614 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15615 external program @code{imtest}.
15617 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15620 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15621 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15623 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15625 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15627 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15630 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15632 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15633 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15634 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15635 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15636 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15637 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15640 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15641 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15642 running in circles yet?
15644 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15645 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15648 The possible options are:
15653 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
15656 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15657 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15658 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15659 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15661 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15666 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15667 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15669 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15670 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15671 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15672 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15673 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15676 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15677 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15680 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15681 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15682 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15683 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15686 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15687 as ticked for other users.
15689 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15691 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15693 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15694 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15695 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15696 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15698 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15699 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15700 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15701 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15703 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15704 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15706 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15707 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15708 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15714 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15715 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15716 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15717 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
15718 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15723 @node Splitting in IMAP
15724 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15725 @cindex splitting imap mail
15727 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15728 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15729 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15730 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15731 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15735 Here are the variables of interest:
15739 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15740 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15742 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15744 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15745 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15747 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15749 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15750 @cindex splitting, inbox
15752 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15754 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15755 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15759 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15760 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15763 No nnmail equivalent.
15765 @item nnimap-split-rule
15766 @cindex Splitting, rules
15767 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15769 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15772 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15773 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15774 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15775 Neither did I, we need examples.
15778 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15780 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15781 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15782 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15785 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15786 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15787 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15789 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15790 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15794 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15797 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15798 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15800 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15801 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15802 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15803 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15805 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15806 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15807 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15808 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15809 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15810 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15812 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15813 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
15814 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
15816 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15817 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15818 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15820 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15822 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15823 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15824 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15827 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15828 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15829 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15830 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15831 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15832 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15835 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15836 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15837 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15838 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15839 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15840 group/function elements.
15842 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15844 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15846 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15848 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15849 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15851 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15852 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15853 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15856 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15857 @cindex splitting, fancy
15858 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15859 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15861 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15862 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15863 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15865 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15866 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15867 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15868 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15873 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15874 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15877 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15879 @item nnimap-split-download-body
15880 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
15881 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
15883 Set to non-nil to download entire articles during splitting. This is
15884 generally not required, and will slow things down considerably. You
15885 may need it if you want to use an advanced splitting function that
15886 analyses the body to split the article.
15890 @node Expiring in IMAP
15891 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15892 @cindex expiring imap mail
15894 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
15895 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
15896 Mail}). Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do
15897 not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
15898 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
15899 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
15902 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15903 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15904 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15905 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15906 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15907 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15908 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15909 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15913 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15914 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15916 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15917 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
15919 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15921 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15922 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15923 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15924 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15928 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15929 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15930 @cindex editing imap acls
15931 @cindex Access Control Lists
15932 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15934 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15936 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15937 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15938 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15941 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15942 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15943 editing window with detailed instructions.
15945 Some possible uses:
15949 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15950 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15951 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15953 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15954 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
15955 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15959 @node Expunging mailboxes
15960 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15964 @cindex Manual expunging
15966 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15968 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15969 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15970 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15972 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15975 @node A note on namespaces
15976 @subsection A note on namespaces
15977 @cindex IMAP namespace
15980 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15981 following text in the RFC:
15984 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15986 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15987 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15988 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15989 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15991 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15992 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15993 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15994 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15995 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15996 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15999 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
16000 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
16001 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16003 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
16004 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
16005 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
16006 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
16007 the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
16008 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
16009 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
16010 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
16012 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16013 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16014 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16016 @node Other Sources
16017 @section Other Sources
16019 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16020 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16024 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16025 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16026 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16027 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16028 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16032 @node Directory Groups
16033 @subsection Directory Groups
16035 @cindex directory groups
16037 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16038 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16041 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16042 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16043 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16044 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16046 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16047 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16048 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16049 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16050 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16052 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
16054 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16055 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16056 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16057 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16060 @node Anything Groups
16061 @subsection Anything Groups
16064 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16065 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16066 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16069 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16070 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16071 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16072 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16073 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16074 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16075 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16076 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16077 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16078 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16081 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16082 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16083 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16084 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16086 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16087 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16088 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16089 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16091 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16092 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16093 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16094 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16095 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16096 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16097 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16098 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16103 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16104 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16105 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16106 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16108 @item nneething-exclude-files
16109 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16110 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16111 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16113 @item nneething-include-files
16114 @vindex nneething-include-files
16115 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16116 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16118 @item nneething-map-file
16119 @vindex nneething-map-file
16120 Name of the map files.
16124 @node Document Groups
16125 @subsection Document Groups
16127 @cindex documentation group
16130 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16131 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16138 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
16143 The standard Unix mbox file.
16145 @cindex MMDF mail box
16147 The MMDF mail box format.
16150 Several news articles appended into a file.
16153 @cindex rnews batch files
16154 The rnews batch transport format.
16155 @cindex forwarded messages
16158 Forwarded articles.
16161 Netscape mail boxes.
16164 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
16166 @item standard-digest
16167 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16170 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
16172 @item lanl-gov-announce
16173 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16175 @item rfc822-forward
16176 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16179 The Outlook mail box.
16182 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16185 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16188 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16191 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16197 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16200 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16206 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16207 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16208 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16211 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16212 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16213 group. And that's it.
16215 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16216 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16217 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16218 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16219 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16220 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16221 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16222 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16223 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16224 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16226 Virtual server variables:
16229 @item nndoc-article-type
16230 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16231 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16232 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16233 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16234 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16235 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16237 @item nndoc-post-type
16238 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16239 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16240 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16245 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16249 @node Document Server Internals
16250 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16252 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16253 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16254 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16255 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16257 First, here's an example document type definition:
16261 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16262 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16265 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16266 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16267 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16268 types can be defined with very few settings:
16271 @item first-article
16272 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16273 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16276 @item article-begin
16277 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16278 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16280 @item head-begin-function
16281 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16284 @item nndoc-head-begin
16285 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16288 @item nndoc-head-end
16289 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16290 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16292 @item body-begin-function
16293 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16297 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16300 @item body-end-function
16301 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16305 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16308 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16309 regexp will be totally ignored.
16313 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16314 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16315 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16316 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16317 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16320 @item prepare-body-function
16321 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16322 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16323 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16325 @item article-transform-function
16326 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16327 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16328 body of the article.
16330 @item generate-head-function
16331 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16332 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16333 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16334 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16338 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16343 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16344 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16345 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16346 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16347 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16348 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16349 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16350 (subtype digest guess))
16353 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16354 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16355 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16356 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16357 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16359 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16360 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16361 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16362 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16363 The alist is traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is
16364 called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is
16365 called to see whether a document is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on.
16366 These type predicates should return @code{nil} if the document is not
16367 of the correct type; @code{t} if it is of the correct type; and a
16368 number if the document might be of the correct type. A high number
16369 means high probability; a low number means low probability with
16370 @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16378 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16379 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16380 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16382 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16383 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16384 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16387 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16388 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16389 that interested in doing things properly.
16391 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16392 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16395 First some terminology:
16400 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16401 get news and/or mail from.
16404 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16405 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16408 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16412 @item message packets
16413 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16414 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16415 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16417 @item response packets
16418 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16419 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16420 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16430 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16431 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16432 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16433 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16436 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16439 You put the packet in your home directory.
16442 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16443 the native or secondary server.
16446 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16447 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16450 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16454 You transfer this packet to the server.
16457 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16460 You then repeat until you die.
16464 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16465 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16468 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16469 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16470 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16474 @node SOUP Commands
16475 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16477 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16481 @kindex G s b (Group)
16482 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16483 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16484 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16485 process/prefix convention.
16488 @kindex G s w (Group)
16489 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16490 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16493 @kindex G s s (Group)
16494 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16495 Send all replies from the replies packet
16496 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16499 @kindex G s p (Group)
16500 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16501 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16504 @kindex G s r (Group)
16505 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16506 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16509 @kindex O s (Summary)
16510 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16511 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16512 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16513 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16518 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16523 @item gnus-soup-directory
16524 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16525 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16526 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16528 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16529 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16530 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16531 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16533 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16534 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16535 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16536 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16538 @item gnus-soup-packer
16539 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16540 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16541 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16543 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16544 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16545 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16546 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16548 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16549 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16550 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16552 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16553 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16554 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16555 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16561 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16564 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16565 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16566 you can read them at leisure.
16568 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16572 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16573 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16574 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16575 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16577 @item nnsoup-directory
16578 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16579 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16580 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16582 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16583 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16584 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16585 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16587 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16588 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16589 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16590 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16591 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16593 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16594 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16595 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16596 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16598 @item nnsoup-active-file
16599 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16600 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16601 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16602 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16603 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16605 @item nnsoup-packer
16606 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16607 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16608 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16610 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16611 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16612 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16613 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16615 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16616 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16617 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16620 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16621 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16622 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16625 @item nnsoup-always-save
16626 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16627 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16633 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16635 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16636 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16637 more for that to happen.
16639 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16640 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16641 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16644 In specific, this is what it does:
16647 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16648 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16651 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16652 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16653 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16656 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16657 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16658 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16661 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16662 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16663 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16665 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16671 @item nngateway-address
16672 @vindex nngateway-address
16673 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16675 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16676 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16677 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16678 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16679 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16680 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16681 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16684 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16685 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16686 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16689 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16692 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16695 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16698 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16700 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16703 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16704 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16705 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16707 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16709 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16710 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16711 @code{nngateway-address}.
16716 (setq gnus-post-method
16718 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16719 (nngateway-header-transformation
16720 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16728 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16731 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16736 @node Combined Groups
16737 @section Combined Groups
16739 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16743 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16744 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16748 @node Virtual Groups
16749 @subsection Virtual Groups
16751 @cindex virtual groups
16752 @cindex merging groups
16754 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16757 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16758 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16759 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16761 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16762 regexp to match component groups.
16764 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16765 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16766 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16767 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16768 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16769 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16770 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16771 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16773 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16774 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16777 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16780 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16781 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16783 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16784 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16785 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16786 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16789 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16792 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16793 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16794 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16796 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16797 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16798 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16799 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16800 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16802 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16803 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16804 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16806 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16807 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16808 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16809 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16810 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16811 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16812 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16813 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16814 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16815 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16816 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16818 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16819 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16820 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16821 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16822 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16823 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16824 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16826 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16827 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16829 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16830 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16834 @node Kibozed Groups
16835 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16839 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16840 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16841 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16842 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16844 @kindex G k (Group)
16845 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16848 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16849 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16850 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16851 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16853 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16854 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16855 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16857 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16858 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16859 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16860 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16861 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16862 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16863 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16864 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16866 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16867 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16868 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16869 Stranger things have happened.
16871 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16872 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16874 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16875 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16876 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16877 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16878 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16879 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16881 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16882 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16885 @node Gnus Unplugged
16886 @section Gnus Unplugged
16891 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16893 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16894 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16895 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16896 read news. Believe it or not.
16898 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16899 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16900 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16901 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16902 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16904 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16905 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16906 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16907 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16908 reading news on a machine.
16910 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16911 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16913 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16916 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16917 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16918 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16919 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16920 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16921 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
16922 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16923 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16924 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16925 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16926 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16927 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16932 @subsection Agent Basics
16934 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16936 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16937 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16938 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16939 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16941 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16942 connected to the net continuously.
16944 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16945 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16947 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16952 @findex gnus-unplugged
16953 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16954 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16955 already fetched while in this mode.
16958 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16959 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16960 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16961 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16962 Source Specifiers}).
16965 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16966 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16967 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16968 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16969 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16972 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16973 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16974 then you read the news offline.
16977 And then you go to step 2.
16980 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16986 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16987 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16988 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16989 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16990 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16991 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16992 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16993 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16996 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16999 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17003 @node Agent Categories
17004 @subsection Agent Categories
17006 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17007 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17008 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17009 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17010 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17011 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17012 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17014 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
17015 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
17016 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
17017 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
17018 managing categories.
17021 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17022 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17023 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17027 @node Category Syntax
17028 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17030 A category consists of two things.
17034 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17035 are eligible for downloading; and
17038 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17039 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17040 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17043 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17044 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17045 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17046 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17048 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17049 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17050 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17052 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17053 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17054 operators sprinkled in between.
17056 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17058 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17059 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17065 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17066 short (for some value of ``short'').
17068 Here's a more complex predicate:
17077 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17078 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17081 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17082 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17083 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17085 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17086 you want to do, you can write your own.
17090 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17091 lines; default 100.
17094 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17095 lines; default 200.
17098 True iff the article has a download score less than
17099 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17102 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17103 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17106 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17107 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17108 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17117 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17118 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17119 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17122 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17123 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17124 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17125 something along the lines of the following:
17128 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17129 "Say whether an article is old."
17130 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17131 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17134 with the predicate then defined as:
17137 (not my-article-old-p)
17140 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17141 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17145 (require 'gnus-agent)
17146 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17147 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17148 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17151 and simply specify your predicate as:
17157 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17158 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17159 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17160 just don't give a damn.
17162 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17163 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17164 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17165 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
17166 parameters like so:
17169 (agent-predicate . short)
17172 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17173 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17174 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17176 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17179 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17182 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17183 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17184 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17187 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17188 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17189 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17190 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17191 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17192 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17194 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17195 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17196 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17197 if it's to be specific to that group.
17199 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17206 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
17207 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17213 Category specification
17217 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17223 Group Parameter specification
17226 (agent-score ("from"
17227 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17232 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17238 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17239 keywords stated above.
17245 Category specification
17248 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17254 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17258 Group Parameter specification
17261 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17264 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17269 Use @code{normal} score files
17271 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17272 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17273 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17274 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17276 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17277 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17278 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17279 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17283 Category Specification
17290 Group Parameter specification
17293 (agent-score . file)
17298 @node Category Buffer
17299 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17301 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17302 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17303 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17305 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17309 @kindex q (Category)
17310 @findex gnus-category-exit
17311 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17314 @kindex k (Category)
17315 @findex gnus-category-kill
17316 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17319 @kindex c (Category)
17320 @findex gnus-category-copy
17321 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17324 @kindex a (Category)
17325 @findex gnus-category-add
17326 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17329 @kindex p (Category)
17330 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17331 Edit the predicate of the current category
17332 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17335 @kindex g (Category)
17336 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17337 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17338 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17341 @kindex s (Category)
17342 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17343 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17344 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17347 @kindex l (Category)
17348 @findex gnus-category-list
17349 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17353 @node Category Variables
17354 @subsubsection Category Variables
17357 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17358 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17359 Hook run in category buffers.
17361 @item gnus-category-line-format
17362 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17363 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17364 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17368 The name of the category.
17371 The number of groups in the category.
17374 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17375 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17376 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17378 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17379 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17380 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17382 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17383 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17384 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17386 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17387 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17388 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17391 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17392 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17393 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17399 @node Agent Commands
17400 @subsection Agent Commands
17401 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17402 @kindex J j (Agent)
17404 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17405 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17406 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17410 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17411 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17412 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17418 @node Group Agent Commands
17419 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17423 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17424 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17425 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17426 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17429 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17430 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17431 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17434 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17435 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17436 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17437 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17440 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17441 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17442 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17443 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17446 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17447 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17448 Add the current group to an Agent category
17449 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17450 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17453 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17454 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17455 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17456 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17457 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17460 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17461 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17462 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17468 @node Summary Agent Commands
17469 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17473 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17474 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17475 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17478 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17479 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17480 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17481 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17485 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17486 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17487 Toggle whether to download the article
17488 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17492 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17493 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17494 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17497 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17498 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17499 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17500 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17503 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17504 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17505 Download all processable articles in this group.
17506 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17509 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17510 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17511 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17512 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17517 @node Server Agent Commands
17518 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17522 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17523 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17524 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17525 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17528 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17529 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17530 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17531 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17536 @node Agent as Cache
17537 @subsection Agent as Cache
17539 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17540 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17541 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17542 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17543 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17544 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17545 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17546 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17547 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17549 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17550 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17553 @subsection Agent Expiry
17555 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17556 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17557 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17558 @cindex Agent expiry
17559 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17562 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17563 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17564 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17565 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17566 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17567 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17569 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17570 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17571 synchronized with the group.
17573 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17574 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17575 expiry in different groups.
17578 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17584 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17585 method---it must always match all groups. Also, for a regexp to match,
17586 it must match from the beginning of the group's name.
17588 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17589 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17590 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17591 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17592 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17594 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17595 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17596 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17598 @node Agent Regeneration
17599 @subsection Agent Regeneration
17601 @cindex Agent Regeneration
17602 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
17603 @cindex regeneration
17605 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
17606 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
17607 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
17608 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
17609 internal inconsistencies.
17611 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
17612 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
17613 know about articles downloaded prior to the connection failure.
17614 Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
17615 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
17616 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
17618 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17619 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
17620 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
17621 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
17622 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
17623 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
17625 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17626 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17627 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
17628 of individual articles to repair the local NOV(header) database. It
17629 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
17630 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
17633 @node Agent and IMAP
17634 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17636 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17637 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17638 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17639 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17641 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17642 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
17643 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17644 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17646 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17647 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17648 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17649 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17651 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17652 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17653 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17654 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17655 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17656 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17658 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17659 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17660 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17661 in the group buffer.
17663 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17664 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17669 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17672 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17676 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
17677 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17678 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17679 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17680 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17681 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
17682 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17683 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17686 @node Outgoing Messages
17687 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17689 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17690 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17691 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17693 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17694 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17695 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17696 messages in the draft group.
17700 @node Agent Variables
17701 @subsection Agent Variables
17704 @item gnus-agent-directory
17705 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17706 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17707 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17709 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17710 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17711 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17712 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17713 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17716 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17717 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17718 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17720 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17721 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17722 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17724 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17725 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17726 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17728 @item gnus-agent-cache
17729 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17730 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17731 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17732 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17734 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17735 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17736 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17737 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17738 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17739 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17740 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17743 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17744 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17745 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
17746 mark articles as unread after downloading. The default is t.
17748 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17749 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17750 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
17751 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
17752 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
17754 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17755 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17756 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
17757 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
17758 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
17759 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
17760 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
17761 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
17762 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
17763 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
17764 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
17765 available while unplugged).
17767 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17768 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17769 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17770 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17771 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17772 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17773 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17774 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17775 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17780 @node Example Setup
17781 @subsection Example Setup
17783 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17784 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17785 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17788 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17789 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17790 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17792 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17793 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17794 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17796 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17797 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17799 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17800 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17801 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17804 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17805 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17808 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17809 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17810 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17811 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17812 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17815 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17816 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17817 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17818 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17819 back all the killed groups.)
17821 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17822 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17823 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17826 @node Batching Agents
17827 @subsection Batching Agents
17828 @findex gnus-agent-batch
17830 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17831 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17832 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17834 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
17835 following incantation:
17839 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
17843 @node Agent Caveats
17844 @subsection Agent Caveats
17846 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17847 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17851 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17853 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
17854 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
17855 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
17857 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17859 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
17863 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17864 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
17865 locally stored articles.
17872 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17873 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17874 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17877 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17878 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17879 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17880 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17881 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17883 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17884 before generating the summary buffer.
17886 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17887 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17888 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17890 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17891 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17892 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17893 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17896 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17897 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17898 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17899 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17900 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17901 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17902 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17903 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17904 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17905 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17906 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17907 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17908 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17909 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17910 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17911 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17912 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17916 @node Summary Score Commands
17917 @section Summary Score Commands
17918 @cindex score commands
17920 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17921 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17922 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17923 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17924 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17926 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17927 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17928 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17929 score file the current one.
17931 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17936 @kindex V s (Summary)
17937 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17938 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17941 @kindex V S (Summary)
17942 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17943 Display the score of the current article
17944 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17947 @kindex V t (Summary)
17948 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17949 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17950 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17953 @kindex V w (Summary)
17954 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17955 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17958 @kindex V R (Summary)
17959 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17960 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17961 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17962 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17963 effect you're having.
17966 @kindex V c (Summary)
17967 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17968 Make a different score file the current
17969 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17972 @kindex V e (Summary)
17973 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17974 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17975 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17979 @kindex V f (Summary)
17980 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17981 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17982 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17985 @kindex V F (Summary)
17986 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17987 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17988 after editing score files.
17991 @kindex V C (Summary)
17992 @findex gnus-score-customize
17993 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17994 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17998 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18003 @kindex V m (Summary)
18004 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18005 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18006 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18009 @kindex V x (Summary)
18010 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18011 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18012 expunge all articles below this score
18013 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18016 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18017 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18020 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18021 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18025 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18026 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18028 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18029 keys are available:
18033 Score on the author name.
18036 Score on the subject line.
18039 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18042 Score on the @code{References} line.
18048 Score on the number of lines.
18051 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18054 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18055 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18058 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18059 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18060 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18069 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18075 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18076 what headers you are scoring on.
18088 Substring matching.
18091 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18120 Greater than number.
18125 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18126 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18127 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18132 Temporary score entry.
18135 Permanent score entry.
18138 Immediately scoring.
18142 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18143 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18144 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18148 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18149 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18150 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18151 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18153 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18154 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18155 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18156 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18157 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18159 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18160 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18161 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18162 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18163 current score file.
18165 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18166 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18167 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18170 @node Group Score Commands
18171 @section Group Score Commands
18172 @cindex group score commands
18174 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18179 @kindex W f (Group)
18180 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18181 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18182 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18183 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18187 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18189 @findex gnus-batch-score
18190 @cindex batch scoring
18192 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18196 @node Score Variables
18197 @section Score Variables
18198 @cindex score variables
18202 @item gnus-use-scoring
18203 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18204 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18205 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18207 @item gnus-kill-killed
18208 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18209 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18210 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18211 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18212 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18213 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18214 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18216 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18217 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18218 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18219 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18220 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18222 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18223 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18224 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18225 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18227 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18228 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18229 @cindex score cache
18230 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18231 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18232 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18233 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18234 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18235 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18236 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18239 @item gnus-save-score
18240 @vindex gnus-save-score
18241 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18242 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18243 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18245 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18246 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18247 across group visits.
18249 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18250 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18251 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18252 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18253 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18254 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18255 manually entered data.
18257 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18258 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18259 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18261 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18262 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18263 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18264 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18265 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18266 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18268 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18269 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18270 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18271 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18273 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18274 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18275 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18276 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18278 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18279 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18280 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18281 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18283 Predefined functions available are:
18286 @item gnus-score-find-single
18287 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18288 Only apply the group's own score file.
18290 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18291 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18292 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18293 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18294 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18295 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18296 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18297 then a regexp match is done.
18299 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18300 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18302 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18303 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18304 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18305 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18307 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18308 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18309 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18310 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18311 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18315 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18316 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18317 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18318 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18319 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18320 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18321 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18324 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18325 overall score file, you could use the value
18327 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18328 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18331 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18332 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18333 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18334 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18335 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18337 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18338 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18339 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18340 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18341 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18342 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18343 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18344 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18346 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18347 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18348 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18350 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18351 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18352 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
18353 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18354 threading---according to the current value of
18355 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
18356 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18357 simplified in this manner.
18362 @node Score File Format
18363 @section Score File Format
18364 @cindex score file format
18366 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18367 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18368 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18370 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18374 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18376 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18378 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18380 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18385 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18389 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18390 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18391 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18392 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18396 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18397 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18399 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18400 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18401 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18403 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18408 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18409 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18410 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18411 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18412 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18413 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18414 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18415 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18416 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18417 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18418 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18419 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18420 to articles that matches these score entries.
18422 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18423 score entry has one to four elements.
18427 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18428 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18432 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18433 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18434 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18435 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18436 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18437 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18440 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18441 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18442 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18443 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18444 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18447 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18448 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18449 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18450 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18453 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18454 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18455 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18456 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18457 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18458 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18459 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18460 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18461 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18462 instead, if you feel like.
18465 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18466 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18467 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18468 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18469 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18470 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18473 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18477 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18478 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18480 These predicates are true if
18483 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18486 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18487 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18494 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18495 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18496 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18497 it's not. I think.)
18499 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18500 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18501 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18502 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18505 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18506 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18507 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18508 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18509 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18510 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18511 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18515 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18516 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18517 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18518 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18519 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18520 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18521 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18522 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18525 @item Head, Body, All
18526 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18530 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18531 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18532 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18533 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18534 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18535 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18536 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18540 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18541 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18542 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18543 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18544 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18545 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18546 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18547 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18548 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18549 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18550 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18554 @cindex Score File Atoms
18556 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18557 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18560 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18561 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18563 @item mark-and-expunge
18564 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18565 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18568 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18569 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18570 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18571 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18572 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18575 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18576 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18579 @item exclude-files
18580 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18581 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18585 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18586 ignored when handling global score files.
18589 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18590 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18591 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18592 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18595 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18596 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18597 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18598 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18600 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18604 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18607 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18608 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18609 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18610 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18611 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18613 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18614 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18615 scoring rules exist.
18618 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18619 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18620 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18621 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18622 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18623 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18624 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18625 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18626 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18627 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18628 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18632 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18633 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18634 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18635 file for a number of groups.
18638 @cindex local variables
18639 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
18640 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
18641 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
18642 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
18643 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
18648 @node Score File Editing
18649 @section Score File Editing
18651 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18652 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18653 with a mode for that.
18655 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18656 additional commands:
18661 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18662 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18663 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18664 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18667 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18668 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18669 Insert the current date in numerical format
18670 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18671 you were wondering.
18674 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18675 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18676 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18677 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18678 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18683 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18685 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18686 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18688 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18689 e} to begin editing score files.
18692 @node Adaptive Scoring
18693 @section Adaptive Scoring
18694 @cindex adaptive scoring
18696 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18697 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18698 stupidity, to be precise.
18700 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18701 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18702 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18703 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18704 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18705 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18706 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18707 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18708 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18710 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18711 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18712 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18713 might look something like this:
18716 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18717 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18718 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18719 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18720 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18721 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18722 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18723 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18724 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18725 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18726 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18727 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18730 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18731 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18732 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18733 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18734 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18735 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18738 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18739 will be applied to each article.
18741 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18742 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18743 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18744 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18746 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18747 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18748 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18749 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18751 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18752 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18753 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18754 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18756 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18757 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18758 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18759 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18760 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18761 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18763 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18764 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18765 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18767 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18768 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18769 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18771 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18772 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18773 let you use different rules in different groups.
18775 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18776 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18777 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18780 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18781 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18782 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18783 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18784 the length of the match is less than
18785 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18786 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18789 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18790 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18791 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18792 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18793 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18796 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18797 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18798 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18799 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18800 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18803 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18804 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18805 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18806 score with 30 points.
18808 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18809 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18810 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18811 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18812 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18814 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18815 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18816 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18817 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18818 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18820 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18821 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18822 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18823 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18825 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18826 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18827 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18828 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18830 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18831 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18832 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18833 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18834 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18836 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18837 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18838 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18840 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18841 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18842 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18843 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18846 @node Home Score File
18847 @section Home Score File
18849 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18850 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18851 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18852 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18854 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18855 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18856 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18858 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18859 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18864 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18868 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18869 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18873 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18877 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18878 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18881 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18882 the home score file.
18885 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18888 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18893 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18896 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18897 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18900 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18901 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18903 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18905 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18906 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18909 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18910 Other functions include
18913 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18914 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18915 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18916 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18920 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18921 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18922 their own home score files:
18925 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18926 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18927 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18928 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18929 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18932 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18933 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18934 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18935 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18936 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18938 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18939 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18940 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18941 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18942 precedence over this variable.
18945 @node Followups To Yourself
18946 @section Followups To Yourself
18948 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18949 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18950 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18951 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18952 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18953 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18957 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18958 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18959 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18962 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18963 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18964 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18968 @vindex message-sent-hook
18969 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18970 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18972 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18976 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18977 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18981 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18982 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18985 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18986 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18991 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18995 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18996 is system-dependent.
18999 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19000 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19001 @cindex scoring on other headers
19003 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19004 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19005 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19006 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19007 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19009 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19010 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
19011 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
19012 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
19013 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19015 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19018 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19019 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19022 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19023 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19024 time if you have much mail.
19026 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19027 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19033 @section Scoring Tips
19034 @cindex scoring tips
19040 @cindex scoring crossposts
19041 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19042 the @code{Xref} header.
19044 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19047 @item Multiple crossposts
19048 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19049 more than, say, 3 groups:
19052 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19056 @item Matching on the body
19057 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19058 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19059 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19060 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19061 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19062 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19063 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19066 @item Marking as read
19067 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19068 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19069 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19073 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19075 @item Negated character classes
19076 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19077 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19078 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19082 @node Reverse Scoring
19083 @section Reverse Scoring
19084 @cindex reverse scoring
19086 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19087 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19088 like this in your score file:
19092 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19097 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19098 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19101 @node Global Score Files
19102 @section Global Score Files
19103 @cindex global score files
19105 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19106 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19107 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19109 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19110 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19111 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19113 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19114 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19115 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19116 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19117 files are applicable to which group.
19119 To use the score file
19120 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19121 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19125 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19126 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19127 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19130 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19132 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19133 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19134 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19135 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19137 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19138 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19140 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19141 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19142 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19143 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19144 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19145 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19147 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19153 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19155 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19157 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19159 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19160 lowered out of existence.
19162 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19163 articles completely.
19166 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19167 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19168 old articles for a long time.
19171 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19172 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19173 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19174 holding our breath yet?
19178 @section Kill Files
19181 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19182 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19183 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19185 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19186 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19187 files into score files.
19189 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19190 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19191 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19192 that isn't a very good idea.
19194 Normal kill files look like this:
19197 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19198 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19202 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19203 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19205 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19206 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19209 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
19214 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19215 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19216 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19219 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19220 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19221 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19224 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19229 @kindex M-k (Group)
19230 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19231 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19234 @kindex M-K (Group)
19235 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19236 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19239 Kill file variables:
19242 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19243 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19244 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19245 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19246 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19247 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19248 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19250 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19251 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19252 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19253 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19256 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19257 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19258 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19259 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19260 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19261 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19262 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19263 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19264 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19266 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19267 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19268 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19273 @node Converting Kill Files
19274 @section Converting Kill Files
19276 @cindex converting kill files
19278 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19279 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19280 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19283 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19284 You can fetch it from
19285 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19287 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19288 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19289 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19297 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
19298 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19299 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19300 news articles generated every day.
19302 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19303 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19304 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19305 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19306 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19307 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19308 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19309 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19312 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19313 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19316 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19317 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19318 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19319 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19323 @node Using GroupLens
19324 @subsection Using GroupLens
19326 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
19328 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
19329 better bit in town at the moment.
19331 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19335 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19336 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19337 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19338 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19340 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19341 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19342 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19343 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19345 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19346 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19347 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19351 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19352 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19353 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19354 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19355 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19356 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19359 @node Rating Articles
19360 @subsection Rating Articles
19362 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19363 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19364 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19365 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19368 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19373 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19374 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19375 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19378 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19379 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19380 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19381 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19382 threads in rec.humor.
19386 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19387 the score of the article you're reading.
19392 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19393 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19394 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19397 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19398 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19399 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19403 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19404 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19407 @node Displaying Predictions
19408 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19410 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19411 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19412 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19413 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19414 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19416 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19417 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19418 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19419 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19420 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19421 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19422 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19423 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19424 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19425 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19426 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19427 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19428 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19430 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19431 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19432 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19433 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19435 The following are valid values for that variable.
19438 @item prediction-spot
19439 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19442 @item confidence-interval
19443 A numeric confidence interval.
19445 @item prediction-bar
19446 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19448 @item confidence-bar
19449 Numerical confidence.
19451 @item confidence-spot
19452 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19454 @item prediction-num
19455 Plain-old numeric value.
19457 @item confidence-plus-minus
19458 Prediction +/- confidence.
19463 @node GroupLens Variables
19464 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19468 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19469 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19470 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19471 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19474 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19475 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19478 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19479 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19481 @item grouplens-score-offset
19482 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19483 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19486 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19487 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19488 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19493 @node Advanced Scoring
19494 @section Advanced Scoring
19496 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19497 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19498 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19499 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19500 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19502 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19506 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19507 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19508 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19512 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19513 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19515 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19516 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19517 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19518 non-@code{nil} value.
19520 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19521 operator, and various match operators.
19528 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19529 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19530 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19535 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19536 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19537 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19542 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19543 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19547 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19548 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19549 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19550 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19551 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19552 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19553 the ancestry you want to go.
19555 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19556 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19557 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19558 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19559 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19562 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19563 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19565 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19566 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19569 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19570 when he's talking about Gnus:
19574 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19575 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19581 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19585 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19592 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19593 really don't want to read what he's written:
19597 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19598 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19602 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19603 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19604 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19611 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19612 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19613 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19614 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19618 The possibilities are endless.
19621 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19622 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19624 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19625 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19626 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19627 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19628 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19629 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19630 @samp{subject}) first.
19632 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19633 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19644 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19645 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19651 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19658 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19659 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19664 @section Score Decays
19665 @cindex score decays
19668 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19669 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19670 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19671 use them in any sensible way.
19673 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19674 @findex gnus-decay-score
19675 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19676 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19677 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19678 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19679 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19680 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19681 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19682 definition of that function:
19685 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19687 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19688 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19691 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19693 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19695 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19698 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19699 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19700 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19701 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19705 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19708 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19711 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19715 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19716 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19717 the new score, which should be an integer.
19719 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19720 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19725 @include message.texi
19726 @chapter Emacs MIME
19727 @include emacs-mime.texi
19729 @include sieve.texi
19731 @c @include pgg.texi
19739 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19740 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19741 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19742 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19743 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19744 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19745 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19746 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19747 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19748 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19749 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19750 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19751 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19752 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19753 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19754 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19755 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19756 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19757 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19761 @node Process/Prefix
19762 @section Process/Prefix
19763 @cindex process/prefix convention
19765 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19766 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19768 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19769 command to be performed on.
19773 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19774 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19775 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19776 with the current one.
19778 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19779 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19780 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19782 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19783 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19786 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19787 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19789 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19792 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19793 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19794 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19795 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19797 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19798 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19799 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19800 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19801 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19802 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19803 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19804 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19806 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19807 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19808 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19809 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19810 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
19814 @section Interactive
19815 @cindex interaction
19819 @item gnus-novice-user
19820 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19822 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19823 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19824 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19827 @item gnus-expert-user
19828 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19829 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19830 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19831 matter how strange.
19833 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19834 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19835 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19836 is @code{t} by default.
19838 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19839 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19840 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19845 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19846 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19847 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19849 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19850 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19851 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19852 rule of 900 to the current article.
19854 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19855 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19856 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19857 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19858 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19859 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19860 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19862 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19863 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19864 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19865 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19866 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19867 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19868 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19869 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19870 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19872 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19873 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19874 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19876 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19880 @node Formatting Variables
19881 @section Formatting Variables
19882 @cindex formatting variables
19884 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19885 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19886 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19887 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19888 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19891 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19892 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19893 lots of percentages everywhere.
19896 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19897 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19898 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19899 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19900 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19901 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19902 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19903 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19906 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19907 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19908 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19909 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19910 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19911 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19912 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19913 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19915 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19916 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19918 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19919 @findex gnus-update-format
19920 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19921 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19922 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19923 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19927 @node Formatting Basics
19928 @subsection Formatting Basics
19930 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19931 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19932 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19934 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19935 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19936 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19937 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19938 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19941 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19942 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19943 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19944 less than 4 characters wide.
19946 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19947 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19950 @node Mode Line Formatting
19951 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19953 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19954 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19955 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19956 with the following two differences:
19961 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19964 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19965 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19966 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19967 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19968 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19969 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19970 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19975 @node Advanced Formatting
19976 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19978 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19979 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19980 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19981 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19983 These are the valid modifiers:
19988 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19992 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19997 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20000 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20005 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20008 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20011 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20014 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20020 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20025 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20026 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20027 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20028 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20029 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20030 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20031 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20033 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20034 last operation, padding.
20036 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20037 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20038 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20039 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20040 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20041 the look of your lines.
20042 @xref{Compilation}.
20045 @node User-Defined Specs
20046 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20048 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20049 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20050 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20051 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20052 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20053 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20054 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20055 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20056 should protect against that.
20058 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20059 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20061 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20062 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20063 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20064 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20068 @node Formatting Fonts
20069 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20071 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20072 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20073 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20074 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20077 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20078 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20079 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20080 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20081 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20082 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20084 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20085 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
20086 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
20087 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
20088 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
20089 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
20090 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
20091 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
20092 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
20093 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
20095 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20098 ;; Create three face types.
20099 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20100 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20102 ;; We want the article count to be in
20103 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
20104 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
20105 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20107 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20108 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20110 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
20111 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20112 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20115 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20116 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20118 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20119 mode-line variables.
20121 @node Positioning Point
20122 @subsection Positioning Point
20124 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20125 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20126 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20128 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20130 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20131 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20132 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20134 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20135 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20136 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20141 @subsection Tabulation
20143 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20144 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20145 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20146 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20148 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
20149 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20151 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20152 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20153 This is the soft tabulator.
20155 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20156 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20157 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20160 @node Wide Characters
20161 @subsection Wide Characters
20163 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20164 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20165 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20167 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20168 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20169 these countries, that's not true.
20171 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20172 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20173 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20174 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20178 @node Window Layout
20179 @section Window Layout
20180 @cindex window layout
20182 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20184 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20185 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20186 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20187 @code{t} by default.
20189 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20190 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20192 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20193 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20194 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20197 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20198 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20199 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20203 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20204 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20205 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20206 possible names is listed below.
20208 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20209 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20212 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20216 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20217 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20218 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20219 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20220 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20221 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20222 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20223 size spec per split.
20225 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20226 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20227 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20228 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20229 present) gets focus.
20231 Here's a more complicated example:
20234 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20235 (summary 0.25 point)
20236 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20240 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20241 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20242 occupy, not a percentage.
20244 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20245 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20246 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20247 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20248 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20251 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20254 (article (horizontal 1.0
20259 (summary 0.25 point)
20264 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20265 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20267 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20268 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20269 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20270 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20271 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20273 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20274 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20275 lines from the splits.
20277 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20281 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20282 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20283 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20284 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20285 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20286 size = number | frame-params
20287 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20290 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20291 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20292 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20293 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20295 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20296 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20297 @cindex window height
20298 @cindex window width
20299 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20300 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20301 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20302 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20303 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20304 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20306 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20307 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20308 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20309 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20311 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20312 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20313 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20314 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20315 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20316 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20317 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20318 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20319 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20320 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20321 configuration list.
20324 (gnus-configure-frame
20328 (article 0.3 point))
20336 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20337 @code{frame} split:
20340 (gnus-configure-frame
20343 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20345 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20346 (user-position . t)
20347 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20352 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20353 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20354 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20355 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20356 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20357 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20358 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20359 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20361 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20362 be found in its default value.
20364 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20365 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20366 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20370 (message (horizontal 1.0
20371 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20373 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20378 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20379 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20380 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20385 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20386 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20387 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20388 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20389 (name . "Message"))
20390 (message 1.0 point))))
20393 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20394 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20395 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20396 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20397 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20400 (gnus-add-configuration
20401 '(article (vertical 1.0
20403 (summary .25 point)
20407 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20408 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20409 Gnus has been loaded.
20411 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20412 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20413 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20414 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20415 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20417 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20418 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20419 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20422 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20426 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20427 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20442 (gnus-add-configuration
20445 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20447 (summary 0.16 point)
20450 (gnus-add-configuration
20453 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20454 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20460 @node Faces and Fonts
20461 @section Faces and Fonts
20466 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20467 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20468 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20473 @section Compilation
20474 @cindex compilation
20475 @cindex byte-compilation
20477 @findex gnus-compile
20479 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20480 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20481 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
20482 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
20483 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
20484 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20485 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20486 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20489 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20490 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20491 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20492 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
20493 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20496 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
20497 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20498 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
20499 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
20500 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
20505 @section Mode Lines
20508 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20509 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20510 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20511 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20512 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20513 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20514 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20517 @cindex display-time
20519 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20520 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20521 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20522 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20523 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20524 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20525 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20526 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20529 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20531 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20532 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20534 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20535 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20536 (length display-time-string)))))
20539 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20540 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20541 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20542 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20543 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20546 @node Highlighting and Menus
20547 @section Highlighting and Menus
20549 @cindex highlighting
20552 @vindex gnus-visual
20553 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20554 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20555 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20558 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20559 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20562 @item group-highlight
20563 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20564 @item summary-highlight
20565 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20566 @item article-highlight
20567 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20569 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20571 Create menus in the group buffer.
20573 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20575 Create menus in the article buffer.
20577 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20579 Create menus in the server buffer.
20581 Create menus in the score buffers.
20583 Create menus in all buffers.
20586 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20587 buffers, you could say something like:
20590 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20593 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20596 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20599 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20600 in all Gnus buffers.
20602 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20605 @item gnus-mouse-face
20606 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20607 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20608 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20612 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20616 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20617 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20618 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20620 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20621 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20622 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20624 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20625 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20626 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20628 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20629 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20630 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20632 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20633 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20634 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20636 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20637 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20638 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20649 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20650 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20651 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20652 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20653 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20657 @vindex gnus-carpal
20658 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20659 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20660 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20665 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20666 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20667 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20669 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20670 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20671 Face used on buttons.
20673 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20674 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20675 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20677 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20678 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20679 Buttons in the group buffer.
20681 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20682 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20683 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20685 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20686 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20687 Buttons in the server buffer.
20689 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20690 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20691 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20694 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20695 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20696 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20704 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20705 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20706 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20707 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20708 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20710 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20711 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20712 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20714 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20715 been idle for thirty minutes:
20718 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20721 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20725 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20728 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20729 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20730 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20732 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20733 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20734 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20735 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20737 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20738 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20739 @var{idle} minutes.
20741 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20742 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20745 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20746 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20747 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20749 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20750 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20751 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20752 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20754 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20755 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20757 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20759 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20762 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20763 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20764 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20765 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20766 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20767 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20768 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20769 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20770 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20771 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20772 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20774 @findex gnus-demon-init
20775 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20776 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20777 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20778 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20779 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20781 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20782 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20783 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20792 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20793 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20795 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20796 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20797 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20798 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20801 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20802 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20803 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20804 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20806 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20807 this will make spam disappear.
20809 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20812 @item gnus-use-nocem
20813 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20814 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20817 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20818 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20819 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20820 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20821 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20823 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20824 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20825 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20826 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20827 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20828 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20830 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20831 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20833 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20834 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20835 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20836 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20837 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20838 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20839 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20840 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20841 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20842 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20844 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20845 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20848 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20851 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20852 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20855 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20858 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20861 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20862 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20864 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20865 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20866 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20867 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20869 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20870 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20873 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20875 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20883 This might be dangerous, though.
20885 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20886 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20887 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20888 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20890 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20891 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20892 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20893 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20894 might then see old spam.
20896 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20897 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20898 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20899 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20900 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20903 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20904 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20905 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20906 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20910 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20911 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20912 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20913 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20920 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20921 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20922 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20924 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20925 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20926 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20927 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20928 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20929 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20930 @code{undo} function.
20932 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20933 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20934 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20935 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20936 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20937 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20938 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20939 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20940 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20941 never be totally undoable.
20943 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20944 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20946 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20947 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20948 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20949 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20953 @node Predicate Specifiers
20954 @section Predicate Specifiers
20955 @cindex predicate specifiers
20957 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20958 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20959 to type all that much.
20961 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20966 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20967 gnus-article-unread-p)
20970 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20971 functions all take one parameter.
20973 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20974 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20975 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20976 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20981 @section Moderation
20984 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20985 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20986 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20989 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20993 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20996 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20998 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21003 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21004 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21005 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21008 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21009 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21012 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21013 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21017 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21020 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21021 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21025 @node Image Enhancements
21026 @section Image Enhancements
21028 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
21029 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
21032 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21033 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21034 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21035 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21048 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21049 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
21050 over your shoulder as you read news.
21052 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21061 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21062 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21063 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21064 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21065 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21066 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21067 @code{GIF} formats.
21070 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21071 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21072 point your Web browser at
21073 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21075 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21076 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21078 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21079 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21082 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21086 @item gnus-picon-databases
21087 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21088 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21089 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21090 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21091 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21093 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21094 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21095 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21096 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21098 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21099 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21100 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21101 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21103 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21104 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21105 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21106 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21107 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21109 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21110 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21111 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21112 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
21117 @subsection Smileys
21122 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21127 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21128 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21130 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21131 @file{.gnus.el} file:
21134 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21137 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21138 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21139 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21140 text and maps that to file names.
21142 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21143 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21144 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21145 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21146 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21149 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21154 @item smiley-data-directory
21155 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21156 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21158 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21159 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21160 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21169 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21170 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21171 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21175 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21176 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
21177 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21178 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21186 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21187 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21188 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21189 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21191 The variable that controls this is the
21192 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21193 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21194 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21195 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21196 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21198 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21199 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21200 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21201 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21204 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21205 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21206 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21207 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21208 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21209 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21210 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21211 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21213 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21216 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21217 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21219 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21220 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21221 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21222 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21223 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21224 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21225 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21226 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21227 header data as a string.
21229 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21230 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21231 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21232 randomly generated data.
21234 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21235 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21236 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21237 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21238 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21240 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21241 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
21244 (setq message-required-news-headers
21245 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21246 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21249 Using the last function would be something like this:
21252 (setq message-required-news-headers
21253 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21254 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21255 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21256 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21261 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21264 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21265 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21266 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21267 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21268 unusual directory structure.
21270 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21271 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21272 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21273 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21275 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21276 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21277 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21278 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21279 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21280 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21282 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21283 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21284 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21289 @subsubsection Toolbar
21293 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21294 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21295 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21296 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21297 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21299 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21300 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21301 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21303 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21304 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21305 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21307 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21308 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21309 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21320 @node Fuzzy Matching
21321 @section Fuzzy Matching
21322 @cindex fuzzy matching
21324 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21325 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21327 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21328 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21329 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21331 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21332 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21333 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21334 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21335 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21338 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21339 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21343 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21345 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21346 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21347 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21348 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21349 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21350 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21351 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21352 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21355 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21356 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21357 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21358 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21359 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21360 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21362 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21365 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21366 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21367 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21368 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21369 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21370 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21373 @node The problem of spam
21374 @subsection The problem of spam
21376 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21377 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21379 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21381 First, some background on spam.
21383 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21384 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21385 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21386 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21387 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21388 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21389 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21390 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21392 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21393 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21394 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21395 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21396 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21397 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21398 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21399 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21400 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21403 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21404 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21405 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21406 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21407 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21408 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21409 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21410 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21411 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21412 mail can be useful.
21414 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21415 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21416 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21417 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21418 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21419 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21420 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21421 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21422 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21424 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21425 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21426 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21427 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21428 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21429 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21430 because of the incident.
21432 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21433 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21434 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21435 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21436 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21437 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21438 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21439 to store the database of spam analyses.
21441 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21442 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21446 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21448 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21449 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21451 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21452 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21453 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21454 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21455 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21456 part of the mail address.)
21459 (setq message-default-news-headers
21460 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21463 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21464 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21469 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21470 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21471 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21477 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21478 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21479 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21480 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21482 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21483 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21484 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21485 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21486 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21487 your fancy split rule in this way:
21492 (to "larsi" "misc")
21496 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21497 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21498 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21499 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21500 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21502 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21503 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21504 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21505 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21506 cosmic balance somewhat.
21508 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21509 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21510 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21511 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21516 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21517 @cindex SpamAssassin
21518 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21521 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21522 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21523 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21524 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21525 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21526 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21527 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21529 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21530 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21531 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21532 Specifiers}) follows.
21536 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21539 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21542 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21543 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21544 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21547 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21551 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21554 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21555 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21559 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21560 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21561 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21562 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21565 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21567 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21569 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21570 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21572 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21574 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21575 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21579 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21580 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21581 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21584 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21585 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21587 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21588 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21589 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21593 @subsection Hashcash
21596 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21597 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21598 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21599 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21600 in smaller communities.
21602 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21603 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21604 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21605 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21606 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21607 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21608 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21609 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21610 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21611 one of them separately.
21614 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21615 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21616 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21617 header. For more details, and for the external application
21618 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21619 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21620 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21622 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21626 (require 'hashcash)
21627 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21630 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21631 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21632 development contrib directory.
21634 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21638 @item hashcash-default-payment
21639 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21640 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21641 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21642 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21644 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21645 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21646 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21647 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
21648 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
21649 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
21650 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
21651 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
21652 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21656 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21660 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21661 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21662 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21663 a useful contribution, however.
21665 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21666 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21667 @cindex spam filtering
21670 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21671 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21672 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21673 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21676 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21677 the following keyboard commands:
21687 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21688 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21690 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
21691 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21692 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21693 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21699 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21700 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21702 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
21708 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21709 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21712 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21713 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21714 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21715 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21716 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21717 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21718 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21719 will be detected later.
21721 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21722 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21723 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21724 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21725 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21726 by customizing the corresponding variable
21727 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21728 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21729 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21730 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21731 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21732 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21733 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21736 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21737 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21738 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
21739 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
21740 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
21741 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21742 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21743 will study them as spam samples.
21745 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21746 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21747 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21748 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21749 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21750 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21751 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21752 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21754 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21755 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21756 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21757 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21760 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21761 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21762 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21765 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21766 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21767 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21768 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21769 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21770 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
21773 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21774 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21775 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21776 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21777 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21778 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
21779 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
21780 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
21781 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
21782 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21783 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21785 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21786 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21788 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21789 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21790 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
21791 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
21792 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
21793 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
21794 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
21795 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
21796 the spam articles are only expired.
21798 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21799 must add the following to your fancy split list
21800 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21806 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21807 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21808 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21810 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21811 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21812 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21813 but you can customize it.
21815 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
21817 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
21818 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
21819 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
21820 message headers. If you use spam-check-bogofilter, spam-check-ifile,
21821 or spam-check-stat (the splitters that can benefit from the full
21822 message body), you should set this variable. It is not set by default
21823 because it will slow IMAP down.
21825 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
21827 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
21828 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
21829 longer spam or ham.}
21831 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
21832 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
21835 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21836 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21839 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21840 * BBDB Whitelists::
21842 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
21844 * ifile spam filtering::
21845 * spam-stat spam filtering::
21846 * Extending the spam elisp package::
21849 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21850 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21851 @cindex spam filtering
21852 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21853 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21856 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21858 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
21859 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
21860 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
21861 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
21866 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21868 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
21869 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
21870 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21871 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
21872 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21876 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
21878 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
21879 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21880 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
21884 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21886 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21887 customizing the group parameters or the
21888 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21889 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21890 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21894 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21896 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21897 customizing the group parameters or the
21898 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21899 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21900 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21901 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21902 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21906 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21907 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21908 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21909 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21910 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21912 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21913 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
21914 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
21915 Emacs regular expression syntax.
21917 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21918 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21919 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21920 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21921 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21922 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21924 @node BBDB Whitelists
21925 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21926 @cindex spam filtering
21927 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21928 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21931 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21933 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21934 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
21935 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
21936 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
21937 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21938 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
21939 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21943 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
21945 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
21946 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21947 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
21948 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
21949 classified as spammers.
21953 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21955 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21956 customizing the group parameters or the
21957 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21958 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21959 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21960 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21961 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21966 @subsubsection Blackholes
21967 @cindex spam filtering
21968 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21971 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21973 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21974 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21975 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21976 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21977 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21978 contains outdated servers.
21980 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21981 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21982 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21983 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21984 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21985 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21989 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21991 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21995 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
21997 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
21998 blackhole server list. When set to nil, it has no effect.
22002 @defvar spam-use-dig
22004 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22005 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22009 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22010 ham processor for blackholes.
22012 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22013 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22014 @cindex spam filtering
22015 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22018 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22020 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22021 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22022 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22023 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22024 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22025 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22029 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22031 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22032 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22036 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22038 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22039 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22043 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22044 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22047 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22048 @cindex spam filtering
22049 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22052 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22054 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22057 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22058 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22059 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22060 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22061 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22062 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22064 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
22065 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
22068 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22069 processing will be turned off.
22071 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22075 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22077 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22078 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22079 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22080 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22081 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22082 installation documents for details.
22084 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22088 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22089 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22090 customizing the group parameters or the
22091 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22092 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22093 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22096 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22097 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22098 customizing the group parameters or the
22099 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22100 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22101 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22102 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22103 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22106 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22108 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22109 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22110 database directory.
22114 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
22115 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22116 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22117 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22118 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22119 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22121 @node ifile spam filtering
22122 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22123 @cindex spam filtering
22124 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22127 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22129 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
22130 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22134 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22136 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22137 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22138 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22142 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22144 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22145 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22146 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22149 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22151 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22152 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22156 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22157 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22158 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22159 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22162 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22163 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22164 @cindex spam filtering
22165 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22169 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22171 @defvar spam-use-stat
22173 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22174 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22178 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22179 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22180 customizing the group parameters or the
22181 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22182 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22183 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22186 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22187 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22188 customizing the group parameters or the
22189 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22190 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22191 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22192 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22193 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22196 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
22197 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
22198 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
22199 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
22202 @node Extending the spam elisp package
22203 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
22204 @cindex spam filtering
22205 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
22206 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
22208 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
22209 incoming mail, provide the following:
22217 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
22218 "True if blackbox should be used.")
22223 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
22225 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
22230 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
22231 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
22232 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
22234 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
22235 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
22236 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
22240 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
22247 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
22248 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
22251 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22252 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
22253 Only applicable to spam groups.")
22255 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22256 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
22257 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
22265 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
22266 (spam-generic-register-routine
22267 ;; the spam function
22269 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22270 (when (stringp from)
22271 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22272 ;; the ham function
22275 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22276 (spam-generic-register-routine
22277 ;; the spam function
22279 ;; the ham function
22281 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22282 (when (stringp from)
22283 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22286 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22287 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22288 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22289 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22290 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22291 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22296 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22297 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22298 @cindex Paul Graham
22299 @cindex Graham, Paul
22300 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22301 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22302 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22304 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22305 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22306 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22307 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22308 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22309 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22310 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22311 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22312 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22315 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22316 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22317 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22318 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22319 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22320 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22321 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22322 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22324 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22325 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22326 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22327 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22328 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22331 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22332 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22333 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22336 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22337 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22339 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22340 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22341 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22342 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22343 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22345 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22346 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22347 per mail. Use the following:
22349 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22350 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22351 is treated as one spam mail.
22354 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22355 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22356 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22359 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22360 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22361 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22362 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22363 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22364 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22366 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
22367 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
22368 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22369 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22370 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22373 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
22374 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22375 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22376 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22379 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22380 reset the dictionary.
22382 @defun spam-stat-reset
22383 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22386 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22387 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22388 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22389 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22390 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22391 only non-spam mails.
22393 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22394 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22395 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22398 @defun spam-stat-save
22399 Save the dictionary.
22402 @defvar spam-stat-file
22403 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22404 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22407 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22408 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22410 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22411 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22414 (require 'spam-stat)
22418 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22421 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22422 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22423 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22424 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22426 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22427 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22428 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22429 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22432 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22433 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22437 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22438 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22441 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22442 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22443 expression are considered potential spam.
22446 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22447 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22448 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22452 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22453 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22454 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22455 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22456 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22459 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22460 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22461 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22465 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22466 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22467 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22468 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22469 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22473 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22474 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22475 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22476 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22481 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22482 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22484 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22486 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22487 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22488 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22491 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22492 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22493 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22496 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22497 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22498 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22499 already been processed as non-spam.
22502 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22503 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22504 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22505 been processed as spam.
22508 @defun spam-stat-save
22509 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22510 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22513 @defun spam-stat-load
22514 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22515 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22518 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22519 Return the spam score for a word.
22522 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22523 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22526 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22527 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22528 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22531 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22532 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22535 (require 'spam-stat)
22539 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22542 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22543 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22544 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22545 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22546 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22547 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22548 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22549 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22550 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22551 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22552 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22553 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22554 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22555 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22558 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22561 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22562 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22563 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22564 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22565 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22566 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22569 @node Various Various
22570 @section Various Various
22576 @item gnus-home-directory
22577 @vindex gnus-home-directory
22578 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
22579 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
22581 @item gnus-directory
22582 @vindex gnus-directory
22583 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
22584 this variable, which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment
22585 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22587 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22588 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22589 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22590 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22592 @item gnus-default-directory
22593 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22594 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22595 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22596 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22597 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22598 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22599 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22602 @vindex gnus-verbose
22603 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22604 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22605 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22606 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22607 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22609 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22610 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22611 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22612 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22614 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22615 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22616 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22617 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22618 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22619 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22620 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22621 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22622 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22623 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22625 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22626 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22627 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22628 read when doing the operation described above.
22630 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22631 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22633 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22634 @cindex characters in file names
22635 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22636 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22637 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22640 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22644 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22645 Windows (phooey) systems.
22647 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22648 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22649 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22650 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22651 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22653 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22654 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22655 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22656 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22657 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22659 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22660 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22661 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22663 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22664 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22666 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22667 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22668 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22669 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22672 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22680 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22681 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22683 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22685 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22691 Not because of victories @*
22694 but for the common sunshine,@*
22696 the largess of the spring.
22700 but for the day's work done@*
22701 as well as I was able;@*
22702 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22703 but at the common table.@*
22708 @chapter Appendices
22711 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22712 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22713 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22714 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22715 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22716 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22717 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22718 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22719 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22726 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22728 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22729 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22730 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22731 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22732 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22733 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22740 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22741 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22743 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22744 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22745 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22746 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22747 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22749 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22750 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22751 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22752 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22753 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22754 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22756 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22757 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22758 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22759 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22762 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22763 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22764 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22765 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22766 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22767 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22768 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22769 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22770 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22774 @node Gnus Versions
22775 @subsection Gnus Versions
22777 @cindex September Gnus
22779 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22780 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22784 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22785 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22786 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22788 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22789 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22791 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22792 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22794 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22795 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22797 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22798 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22801 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22803 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22804 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22805 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22806 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22807 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22808 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22811 @node Other Gnus Versions
22812 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22815 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22816 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22817 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22818 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22820 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22821 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22822 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22823 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22830 What's the point of Gnus?
22832 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22833 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22834 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22835 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22836 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22837 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22838 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22839 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22840 keep track of millions of people who post?
22842 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22843 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22844 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22845 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22846 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22847 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22848 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22849 every one of you to explore and invent.
22851 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22852 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22855 @node Compatibility
22856 @subsection Compatibility
22858 @cindex compatibility
22859 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22860 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22861 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22866 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22870 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22873 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22876 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22877 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22878 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22879 important variables have their values copied into their global
22880 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22881 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22883 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22884 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22885 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22886 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22887 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22891 @cindex highlighting
22892 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22893 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22894 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22895 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22896 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22897 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22900 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22901 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22902 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22903 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22905 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22906 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22907 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22908 to stop doing it the old way.
22910 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22912 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22914 @cindex reporting bugs
22916 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22917 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22918 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22920 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22921 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22922 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22923 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22928 @subsection Conformity
22930 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22931 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22939 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22943 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22945 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22946 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22947 We do have some breaches to this one.
22953 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22954 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22955 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22956 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22957 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22962 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22963 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22964 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22965 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22967 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22969 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22971 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22972 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22974 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22977 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22978 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22979 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22980 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22981 decoding (verification and decryption).
22983 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22984 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22985 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22986 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22988 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22989 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22991 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22992 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22993 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22994 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22995 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22996 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22997 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
23001 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23002 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23007 @subsection Emacsen
23013 Gnus should work on :
23021 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
23025 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23026 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23027 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
23028 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
23029 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
23031 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23032 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23033 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23037 @node Gnus Development
23038 @subsection Gnus Development
23040 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23041 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23042 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23043 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23044 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23045 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23046 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23047 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23049 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23050 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23051 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23052 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23053 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23056 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23057 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23058 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23059 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23060 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23062 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23063 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23064 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23065 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23066 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23067 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23068 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23069 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23070 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23071 can't be assumed to do so.
23076 @subsection Contributors
23077 @cindex contributors
23079 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23080 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23081 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23082 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23083 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23084 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23085 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23086 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23087 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23088 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23090 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23096 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23099 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23100 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
23101 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
23102 functionality and stuff.
23105 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
23106 well as numerous other things).
23109 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
23112 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
23115 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
23118 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
23121 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
23122 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
23125 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
23128 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
23129 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23132 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
23135 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
23138 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
23141 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
23144 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
23145 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
23148 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
23151 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
23154 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
23157 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
23161 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
23164 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
23167 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
23170 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
23171 well as autoconf support.
23175 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
23176 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
23178 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
23187 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
23191 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
23201 Alexei V. Barantsev,
23216 Massimo Campostrini,
23221 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
23222 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
23226 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
23229 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
23235 Michael Welsh Duggan,
23240 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
23244 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
23252 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
23254 Michelangelo Grigni,
23258 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
23260 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
23262 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
23269 François Felix Ingrand,
23270 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
23271 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23273 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23284 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23285 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23287 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23288 Thor Kristoffersen,
23291 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23309 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23310 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23317 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23322 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23326 John McClary Prevost,
23332 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23337 Christian von Roques,
23340 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23347 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23349 Randal L. Schwartz,
23363 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23368 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23384 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
23389 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23390 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23391 (550kB and counting).
23393 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23396 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23397 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23401 @subsection New Features
23402 @cindex new features
23405 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23406 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23407 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23408 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23409 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23412 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23413 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23414 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23417 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23419 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23424 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23425 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23428 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23429 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23432 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23435 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23436 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23437 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23440 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23441 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23442 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23443 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23446 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23447 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23450 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23451 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23452 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23455 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23456 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23459 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23460 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23461 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23464 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23465 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23466 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23469 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23470 the @file{.emacs} file.
23473 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23474 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23477 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23478 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23481 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23482 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23485 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23486 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23489 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23490 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23493 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23496 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23497 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23500 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23501 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23504 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23505 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23508 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23511 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23512 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23515 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23519 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23523 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23524 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23527 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23533 @node September Gnus
23534 @subsubsection September Gnus
23538 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23542 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23547 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23548 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23552 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23553 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23557 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23561 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23562 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23565 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23569 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23572 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23575 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23578 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23582 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23583 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23586 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23590 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23594 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23598 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23602 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23605 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23606 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23609 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23613 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23614 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23617 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23620 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23621 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23622 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23625 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23629 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23632 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23636 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23637 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23640 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23641 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23644 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23645 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23648 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23649 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23650 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23653 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23654 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23657 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23660 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23663 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23666 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23669 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23670 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23673 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23677 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23680 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23685 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23688 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23692 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23695 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23699 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23702 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23705 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23706 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23709 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23710 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23714 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23715 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23718 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23722 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23723 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23726 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23729 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23733 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23737 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23738 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23741 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23745 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23746 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23749 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23750 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23753 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23757 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23760 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23763 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23769 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23771 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23775 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23782 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23785 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23786 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23789 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23790 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23794 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23795 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23798 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23801 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23802 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23805 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23809 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23810 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23814 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23815 Server Internals}).
23818 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23822 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23825 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23826 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23829 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23830 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23831 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23834 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23835 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23838 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23839 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23842 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23846 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23847 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23850 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23851 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23854 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23858 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23861 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23865 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23866 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23869 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23870 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23873 A new command for reading collections of documents
23874 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23875 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23878 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23882 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23883 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23886 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23887 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23888 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23891 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23892 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23896 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23900 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23904 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23909 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23913 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23917 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23918 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23921 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23927 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23929 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23934 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23935 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23936 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23939 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23940 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23941 group, which is created automatically.
23944 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23948 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23951 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23952 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23955 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23959 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23962 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23963 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23966 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23969 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
23970 Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
23973 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23974 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
23977 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23978 control over simplification.
23981 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23984 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23988 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23991 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23994 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23995 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23996 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23999 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
24000 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
24003 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24007 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24008 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24011 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24012 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
24015 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24019 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24022 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24025 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24026 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24029 A new function for citing in Message has been
24030 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24033 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24036 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24040 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24041 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24044 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24045 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24048 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24051 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24055 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24056 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24058 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24063 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24064 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24066 If you used procmail like in
24069 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24070 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24071 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24072 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24075 this now has changed to
24079 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24083 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
24084 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
24087 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24088 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24091 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24092 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24095 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
24096 called to position point.
24099 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
24100 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
24103 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
24104 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
24107 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
24108 subtly different manner.
24111 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
24112 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
24113 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
24116 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
24124 @section The Manual
24128 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
24129 either @code{texi2dvi}
24131 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
24132 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
24134 to get what you hold in your hands now.
24136 The following conventions have been used:
24141 This is a @samp{string}
24144 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
24147 This is a @file{file}
24150 This is a @code{symbol}
24154 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
24158 (setq flargnoze "yes")
24161 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
24164 (setq flumphel 'yes)
24167 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
24168 ever get them confused.
24172 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
24173 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
24174 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
24175 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
24176 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
24177 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
24178 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
24184 @node On Writing Manuals
24185 @section On Writing Manuals
24187 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
24188 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
24189 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
24190 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
24191 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
24192 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
24195 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
24196 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
24197 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
24200 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
24201 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
24206 @section Terminology
24208 @cindex terminology
24213 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
24214 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
24215 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
24216 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
24217 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
24221 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
24222 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
24223 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
24224 not posting, and replying is not following up.
24228 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
24232 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
24237 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
24238 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
24239 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
24240 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
24241 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
24242 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
24243 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
24244 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
24245 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
24247 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
24248 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
24249 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
24250 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
24251 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
24254 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
24255 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
24256 access the articles.
24258 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
24259 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
24260 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
24265 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
24266 default, way of getting news.
24270 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
24271 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
24276 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
24277 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
24281 A message that has been posted as news.
24284 @cindex mail message
24285 A message that has been mailed.
24289 A mail message or news article
24293 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24298 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24303 A line from the head of an article.
24307 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24308 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
24312 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24313 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24314 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24315 normal @sc{head} format.
24319 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24320 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24321 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24322 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24323 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24324 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24326 @item killed groups
24327 @cindex killed groups
24328 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24329 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24331 @item zombie groups
24332 @cindex zombie groups
24333 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24336 @cindex active file
24337 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24338 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24339 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24342 @cindex bogus groups
24343 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24344 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24345 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24348 @cindex activating groups
24349 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24350 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24351 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24355 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24357 @item select method
24358 @cindex select method
24359 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24362 @item virtual server
24363 @cindex virtual server
24364 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24365 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24366 whole is a virtual server.
24370 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24371 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24374 @item ephemeral groups
24375 @cindex ephemeral groups
24376 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24377 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24378 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24381 @cindex solid groups
24382 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24383 group buffer are solid groups.
24385 @item sparse articles
24386 @cindex sparse articles
24387 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24388 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24392 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24393 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24397 @cindex thread root
24398 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24399 articles in the thread.
24403 An article that has responses.
24407 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24411 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24412 specified by RFC 1153.
24418 @node Customization
24419 @section Customization
24420 @cindex general customization
24422 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24423 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24424 for some quite common situations.
24427 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24428 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24429 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24430 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24434 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24435 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24437 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24438 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24439 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24443 @item gnus-read-active-file
24444 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24445 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24446 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24447 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24448 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24450 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24451 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24452 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24453 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24457 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24458 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24460 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24461 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24462 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24466 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24467 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24468 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24469 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24470 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24472 @item gnus-visible-headers
24473 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24474 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24475 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24476 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24478 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24480 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24481 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24482 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24485 @item gnus-use-full-window
24486 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24487 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24488 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24489 want to read them anyway.
24491 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24492 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24496 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24497 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24498 lines, which might save some time.
24502 @node Little Disk Space
24503 @subsection Little Disk Space
24506 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24507 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24511 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24512 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24513 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24514 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24517 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24518 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24519 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24520 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24523 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24524 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24525 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24526 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24527 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24533 @subsection Slow Machine
24534 @cindex slow machine
24536 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24537 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24539 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24540 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24542 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24543 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24544 summary buffer faster.
24548 @node Troubleshooting
24549 @section Troubleshooting
24550 @cindex troubleshooting
24552 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24560 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24563 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24564 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24568 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24569 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
24570 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
24571 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
24572 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24575 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24579 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24580 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24581 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24582 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24583 something like that.
24586 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24589 @cindex reporting bugs
24591 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24593 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24594 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24595 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24596 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24598 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24599 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24600 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24601 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24604 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24605 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24606 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24607 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24608 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24609 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24611 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24612 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24613 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24617 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24618 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24621 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24622 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24623 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24624 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24625 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24626 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24627 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24628 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24629 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24630 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24631 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24632 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24633 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24634 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24639 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24640 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24641 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-j} when things are
24642 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24643 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24644 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24645 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24646 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24647 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24648 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET message}. Then perform
24649 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24650 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24651 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24652 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24653 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24654 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24655 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24656 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24658 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24659 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24661 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24662 @cindex ding mailing list
24663 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@email{ding@@gnus.org}.
24664 Write to @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24668 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24669 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24671 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24672 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24673 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24674 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24677 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24678 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24679 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24680 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24681 and general methods of operation.
24684 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24685 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24686 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24687 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24688 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24689 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24690 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24691 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24692 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24696 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24697 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24698 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24699 @cindex utility functions
24701 @cindex internal variables
24703 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24704 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24705 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24709 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24710 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24711 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24713 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24714 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24715 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24717 @item gnus-group-real-name
24718 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24719 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24722 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24723 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24724 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24725 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24727 @item gnus-get-info
24728 @findex gnus-get-info
24729 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24731 @item gnus-group-unread
24732 @findex gnus-group-unread
24733 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24737 @findex gnus-active
24738 The active entry for @var{group}.
24740 @item gnus-set-active
24741 @findex gnus-set-active
24742 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24744 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24745 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24746 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24749 @item gnus-continuum-version
24750 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24751 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24752 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24755 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24756 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24757 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24759 @item gnus-news-group-p
24760 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24761 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24763 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24764 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24765 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24767 @item gnus-server-to-method
24768 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24769 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24771 @item gnus-server-equal
24772 @findex gnus-server-equal
24773 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24775 @item gnus-group-native-p
24776 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24777 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24779 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24780 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24781 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24783 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24784 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24785 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24787 @item group-group-find-parameter
24788 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24789 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24790 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24792 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24793 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24794 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24796 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24797 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24798 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24800 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24801 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24802 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24803 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24806 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24810 @item gnus-read-method
24811 @findex gnus-read-method
24812 Prompts the user for a select method.
24817 @node Back End Interface
24818 @subsection Back End Interface
24820 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24821 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24822 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24823 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24824 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24825 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24827 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24828 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24829 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24830 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24831 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24832 been opened, the function should fail.
24834 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24835 name. Take this example:
24839 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24840 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24843 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24844 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24846 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24847 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24848 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24850 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24851 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24852 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24854 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24855 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24856 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24857 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24858 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24859 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24862 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24863 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24864 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24865 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24868 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24869 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24870 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24871 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24872 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24873 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24874 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24875 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24876 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24877 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24879 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24880 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24881 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24882 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24883 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24884 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24885 of numbers as long as possible.
24887 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24888 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24889 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24891 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24894 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24897 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24898 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24899 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24900 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24901 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24902 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24906 @node Required Back End Functions
24907 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24911 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24913 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24914 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24915 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24916 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24918 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24919 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24920 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24921 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24923 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
24924 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24925 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24926 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24927 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24928 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24929 number, do maximum fetches.
24931 Here's an example HEAD:
24934 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24935 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24936 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24937 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24938 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24939 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24940 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24942 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24943 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24944 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24948 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24949 these in the data buffer.
24951 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24955 head = error / valid-head
24956 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24957 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24958 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24959 header = <text> eol
24963 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
24965 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24966 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24970 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24971 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
24972 field = <text except TAB>
24975 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24979 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24981 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24982 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24984 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24985 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24986 server. In fact, it should do so.
24988 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24989 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24992 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24994 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24995 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24998 There should be no data returned.
25001 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
25003 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
25004 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
25005 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
25006 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
25008 There should be no data returned.
25011 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
25013 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
25014 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
25015 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
25016 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
25018 There should be no data returned.
25021 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
25023 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
25025 There should be no data returned.
25028 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
25030 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
25031 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
25032 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
25033 it would be nice if that were possible.
25035 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
25036 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
25037 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
25038 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
25039 into its article buffer.
25041 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
25042 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
25043 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
25044 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
25045 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
25046 on successful article retrieval.
25049 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
25051 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
25052 making @var{group} the current group.
25054 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
25057 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
25060 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
25063 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
25064 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
25065 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
25066 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
25067 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
25068 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
25069 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
25070 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
25071 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
25075 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
25076 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
25077 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
25081 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25083 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
25084 a no-op on most back ends.
25086 There should be no data returned.
25089 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
25091 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
25094 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
25097 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
25098 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
25101 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
25102 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
25103 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
25104 and the highest as 0.
25107 active-file = *active-line
25108 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
25110 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
25113 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
25114 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
25115 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
25118 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
25120 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
25121 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
25122 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
25123 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
25124 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
25125 clear if the posting could not be completed.
25127 There should be no result data from this function.
25132 @node Optional Back End Functions
25133 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
25137 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
25139 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
25140 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
25141 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
25143 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
25144 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
25145 former is in the same format as the data from
25146 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
25147 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
25150 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
25154 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
25156 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
25157 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
25158 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
25159 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
25160 should return a non-nil value.
25162 There should be no result data from this function.
25165 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
25167 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
25168 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
25169 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
25170 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
25171 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
25172 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
25173 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
25174 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
25176 There should be no result data from this function.
25179 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
25181 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
25182 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
25183 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
25184 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
25185 propagate the mark information to the server.
25187 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
25190 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
25193 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
25194 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
25195 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
25196 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
25197 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
25198 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
25199 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
25200 possible, not limit itself to these.
25202 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
25203 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
25204 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
25205 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
25207 An example action list:
25210 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
25211 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
25212 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
25215 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
25216 mark on (currently not used for anything).
25218 There should be no result data from this function.
25220 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
25222 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
25223 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
25224 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
25225 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
25226 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
25228 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
25229 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
25230 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
25233 There should be no result data from this function.
25236 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
25238 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
25239 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
25240 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
25241 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
25242 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
25243 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
25244 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
25246 There should be no result data from this function.
25249 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
25251 The result data from this function should be a description of
25255 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
25257 description = <text>
25260 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
25262 The result data from this function should be the description of all
25263 groups available on the server.
25266 description-buffer = *description-line
25270 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
25272 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
25273 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
25274 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
25275 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
25276 in the active buffer format.
25278 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
25279 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
25280 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
25281 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
25282 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
25283 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
25284 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
25287 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25289 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
25291 There should be no return data.
25294 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25296 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25297 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25298 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25299 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25300 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25303 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25306 There should be no result data returned.
25309 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
25311 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25312 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25314 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25315 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25316 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25317 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25318 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25319 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25321 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25322 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25325 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25326 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25328 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25329 article for that group.
25331 There should be no data returned.
25334 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25336 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25337 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25338 this function in short order.
25340 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25341 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25343 There should be no data returned.
25346 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25348 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25349 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25351 There should be no data returned.
25354 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25356 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25357 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25358 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25360 There should be no data returned.
25363 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25365 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25366 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25368 There should be no data returned.
25373 @node Error Messaging
25374 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25376 @findex nnheader-report
25377 @findex nnheader-get-report
25378 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25379 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25380 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25381 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25382 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25383 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25386 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25388 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25391 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25392 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25393 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25394 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25396 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25397 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25398 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25401 @node Writing New Back Ends
25402 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25404 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25405 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25406 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25407 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25408 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25411 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25412 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25413 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25415 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25416 package called @code{nnoo}.
25418 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25419 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25425 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25426 parameters. For instance:
25429 (nnoo-declare nndir
25433 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25434 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25437 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25438 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25439 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25441 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25442 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25443 a function in those back ends.
25446 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25447 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25448 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25451 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25452 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25453 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25455 @item nnoo-define-basics
25456 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25460 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25464 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25465 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25466 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25468 @item nnoo-map-functions
25469 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25470 functions from the parent back ends.
25473 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25474 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25475 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25478 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25479 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25480 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25481 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25484 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25485 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25486 haven't already been defined.
25492 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25496 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25497 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25498 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25503 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25506 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25507 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25511 (require 'nnheader)
25515 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25517 (nnoo-declare nndir
25520 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25521 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25522 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25524 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25525 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25528 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25530 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25531 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25532 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25534 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25535 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25537 ;;; Interface functions.
25539 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25541 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25542 (setq nndir-directory
25543 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25545 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25546 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25547 (push `(nndir-current-group
25548 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25549 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25551 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25552 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25554 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25556 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25557 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25558 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25559 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25560 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25564 nnmh-status-message
25566 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25572 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25573 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25575 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25576 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25577 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25578 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25579 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25581 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25582 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25587 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25590 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25592 The abilities can be:
25596 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25598 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25600 This back end supports both mail and news.
25602 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25605 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25606 articles and groups.
25608 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25609 true for almost all back ends.
25610 @item prompt-address
25611 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25612 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25613 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25617 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25618 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25620 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25621 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25622 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25623 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25626 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25627 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25628 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25631 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25632 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25635 This function takes four parameters.
25639 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25642 @item exit-function
25643 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25645 @item temp-directory
25646 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25649 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25650 performed for one group only.
25653 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25654 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25655 find the article number assigned to this article.
25657 The function also uses the following variables:
25658 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25659 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25660 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25661 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25665 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25666 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25670 @node Score File Syntax
25671 @subsection Score File Syntax
25673 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25674 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25675 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25677 Here's a typical score file:
25681 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25688 BNF definition of a score file:
25691 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25692 element = rule / atom
25693 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25694 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25695 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25696 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25698 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25699 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25700 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25701 date-header = "date"
25702 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25703 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25704 score = "nil" / <integer>
25705 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25706 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25707 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25708 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25709 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25710 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25711 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25712 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25713 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25714 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25715 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25716 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25717 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25718 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25719 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25720 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25721 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25722 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25723 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25724 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25725 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25726 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25727 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25728 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25729 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25730 eval = "eval" space <form>
25731 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25734 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25737 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25738 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25739 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25740 one looong line, then that's ok.
25742 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25743 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25747 @subsection Headers
25749 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25750 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25751 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25752 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25754 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25755 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25756 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25757 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25758 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25759 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25760 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25762 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25763 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25764 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25765 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25766 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25768 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25769 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25775 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25776 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25778 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25779 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25780 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25781 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25783 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25787 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25790 is transformed into
25793 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25796 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25797 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25800 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25803 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25804 is slightly tricky:
25807 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25813 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25816 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25822 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25829 and is equal to the previous range.
25831 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25832 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25833 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25837 range = simple-range / normal-range
25838 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25839 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25840 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25841 number *[ " " contents ]
25844 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25845 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25846 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25847 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25848 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25853 @subsection Group Info
25855 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25856 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25857 describes the group.
25859 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25860 second is a more complex one:
25863 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25865 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25866 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25868 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25871 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25872 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25873 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25874 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25875 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25876 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25877 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25878 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25879 this section is about.
25881 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25882 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25883 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25885 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25888 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25889 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25890 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25891 group = quote <string> quote
25892 ralevel = rank / level
25893 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25894 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25895 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25897 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25898 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25899 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25900 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25903 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25904 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25907 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25908 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25911 @item gnus-info-group
25912 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25913 @findex gnus-info-group
25914 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25915 Get/set the group name.
25917 @item gnus-info-rank
25918 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25919 @findex gnus-info-rank
25920 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25921 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25923 @item gnus-info-level
25924 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25925 @findex gnus-info-level
25926 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25927 Get/set the group level.
25929 @item gnus-info-score
25930 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25931 @findex gnus-info-score
25932 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25933 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25935 @item gnus-info-read
25936 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25937 @findex gnus-info-read
25938 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25939 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25941 @item gnus-info-marks
25942 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25943 @findex gnus-info-marks
25944 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25945 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25947 @item gnus-info-method
25948 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25949 @findex gnus-info-method
25950 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25951 Get/set the group select method.
25953 @item gnus-info-params
25954 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25955 @findex gnus-info-params
25956 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25957 Get/set the group parameters.
25960 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25961 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25963 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25964 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25965 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25966 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25969 @node Extended Interactive
25970 @subsection Extended Interactive
25971 @cindex interactive
25972 @findex gnus-interactive
25974 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25975 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25976 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25979 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25980 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25985 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25986 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25987 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25988 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25989 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25990 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25991 @code{interactive}.
25993 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25998 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25999 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
26003 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
26004 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
26005 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
26008 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
26012 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
26016 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
26022 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
26023 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
26027 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
26028 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
26029 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
26031 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
26032 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
26033 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
26034 Gnus, that's very useful.
26036 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
26037 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
26038 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
26039 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
26040 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
26041 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
26042 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
26043 following function:
26046 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
26050 (,function ,@@args))
26054 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
26055 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
26056 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
26059 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
26060 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
26061 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
26063 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
26064 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
26065 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
26068 @node Various File Formats
26069 @subsection Various File Formats
26072 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
26073 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
26077 @node Active File Format
26078 @subsubsection Active File Format
26080 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
26081 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
26084 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
26087 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
26088 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
26089 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
26090 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
26091 no.general 1000 900 y
26094 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
26097 active = *group-line
26098 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
26099 group = <non-white-space string>
26101 high-number = <non-negative integer>
26102 low-number = <positive integer>
26103 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
26106 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
26107 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
26110 @node Newsgroups File Format
26111 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
26113 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
26114 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
26115 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
26118 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
26119 Here's the definition:
26123 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
26124 group = <non-white-space string>
26126 description = <string>
26131 @node Emacs for Heathens
26132 @section Emacs for Heathens
26134 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
26135 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
26136 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
26137 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
26138 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
26139 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
26140 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
26144 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
26145 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
26150 @subsection Keystrokes
26154 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
26157 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
26160 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
26161 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
26162 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
26163 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
26164 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
26165 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
26167 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
26168 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
26169 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
26170 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
26171 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
26172 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
26173 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
26175 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
26176 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
26177 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
26178 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
26179 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
26180 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
26181 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
26183 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
26184 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
26185 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
26186 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
26187 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
26193 @subsection Emacs Lisp
26195 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
26196 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
26197 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
26198 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
26200 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
26201 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
26202 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
26203 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
26204 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
26205 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
26206 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
26209 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
26210 write the following:
26213 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
26216 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
26217 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
26218 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
26221 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
26222 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
26223 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
26224 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
26225 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
26227 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
26228 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
26229 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
26233 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
26237 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
26240 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
26241 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
26244 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
26247 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
26248 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
26251 @include gnus-faq.texi
26271 @c Local Variables:
26273 @c coding: iso-8859-1
26275 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
26276 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
26277 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
26278 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
26279 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref