4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
293 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
297 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
298 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
299 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
300 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
301 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
302 License'' in the Emacs manual.
304 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
305 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
306 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
308 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
309 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
310 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
311 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
319 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
321 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
322 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
324 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
325 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
326 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
327 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
328 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
329 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
330 License'' in the Emacs manual.
332 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
333 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
334 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
336 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
337 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
338 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
339 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
345 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
350 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
351 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
353 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
355 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
356 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
357 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
358 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
359 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
360 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
361 License'' in the Emacs manual.
363 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
364 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
365 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
367 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
368 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
369 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
370 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
379 @top The gnus Newsreader
383 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
384 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
385 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
388 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
389 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
390 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
391 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
392 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
393 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
395 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
406 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
407 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
409 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
410 being accused of plagiarism:
412 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
413 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
414 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
415 can even read news with it!
417 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
418 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
419 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
420 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
421 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
427 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
428 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
429 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
430 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
431 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
432 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
433 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
434 * Various:: General purpose settings.
435 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
436 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
437 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
438 * Key Index:: Key Index.
440 Other related manuals
442 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
443 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
444 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
445 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
448 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
452 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
453 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
454 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
455 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
456 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
457 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
458 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
459 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
460 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
461 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
462 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
466 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
467 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
468 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
472 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
473 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
474 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
475 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
476 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
477 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
478 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
479 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
480 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
481 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
482 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
483 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
484 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
485 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
486 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
487 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
488 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
492 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
493 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
494 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
498 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
499 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
500 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
501 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
502 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
506 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
507 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
508 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
509 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
510 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
514 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
515 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
516 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
517 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
518 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
519 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
520 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
521 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
522 * Threading:: How threads are made.
523 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
524 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
525 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
526 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
527 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
528 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
529 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
530 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
531 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
532 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
533 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
534 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
535 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
536 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
537 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
538 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
539 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
540 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
541 or reselecting the current group.
542 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
543 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
544 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
545 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
547 Summary Buffer Format
549 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
550 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
551 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
552 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
556 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
557 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
559 Reply, Followup and Post
561 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
562 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
563 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
564 * Canceling and Superseding::
568 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
569 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
570 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
572 * Generic Marking Commands::
573 * Setting Process Marks::
577 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
578 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
579 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
583 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
584 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
586 Customizing Threading
588 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
589 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
590 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
591 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
595 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
596 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
597 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
598 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
599 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
600 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
604 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
605 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
606 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
610 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
611 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
612 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
613 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
614 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
615 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
616 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
617 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
618 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
619 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
621 Alternative Approaches
623 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
624 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
626 Various Summary Stuff
628 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
629 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
630 * Summary Generation Commands::
631 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
635 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
636 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
637 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
638 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
639 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
643 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
644 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
645 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
646 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
647 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
648 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
649 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
650 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
654 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
655 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
656 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
657 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
658 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
659 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
660 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
661 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
665 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
666 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
667 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
668 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
669 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
670 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
671 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
675 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
676 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
680 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
681 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
682 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
686 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
687 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
688 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
689 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
690 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
691 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
692 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
693 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
694 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
695 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
696 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
697 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
698 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
702 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
703 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
704 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
706 Choosing a Mail Back End
708 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
709 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
710 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
711 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
712 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
713 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
718 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
719 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
720 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
721 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
722 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
723 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
727 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
728 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
729 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
730 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
731 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
735 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
736 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
737 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
738 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
739 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
743 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
747 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
748 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
749 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
753 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
754 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
758 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
759 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
760 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
761 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
762 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
763 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
764 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
765 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
766 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
767 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
768 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
772 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
773 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
774 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
778 * Group Agent Commands::
779 * Summary Agent Commands::
780 * Server Agent Commands::
784 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
785 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
786 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
787 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
788 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
789 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
790 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
791 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
792 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
793 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
794 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
795 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
796 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
797 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
798 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
799 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
800 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
804 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
805 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
806 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
807 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
811 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
812 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
813 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
817 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
818 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
819 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
820 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
821 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
822 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
823 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
824 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
825 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
826 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
827 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
828 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
829 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
830 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
831 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
832 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
833 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
834 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
835 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
839 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
840 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
841 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
842 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
843 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
844 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
845 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
846 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
850 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
851 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
852 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
853 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
854 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
858 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
859 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
860 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
861 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
862 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
866 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
867 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
868 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
869 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
870 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
871 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
875 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
876 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
877 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
878 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
879 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
880 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
881 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
882 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
883 * Frequently Asked Questions::
887 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
888 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
889 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
890 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
891 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
892 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
893 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
894 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
895 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
899 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
900 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
901 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
902 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
903 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
907 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
908 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
909 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
910 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
914 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
915 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
916 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
917 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
918 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
919 * Group Info:: The group info format.
920 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
921 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
922 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
926 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
927 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
928 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
929 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
930 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
931 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
935 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
936 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
940 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
941 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
947 @chapter Starting gnus
952 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
953 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
956 @findex gnus-other-frame
957 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
958 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
959 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
961 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
962 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
963 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
965 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
966 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
969 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
970 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
971 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
972 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
973 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
974 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
975 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
976 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
977 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
978 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
979 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
983 @node Finding the News
984 @section Finding the News
987 @vindex gnus-select-method
989 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
990 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
991 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
992 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
995 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
996 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
999 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1002 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1005 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1008 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1009 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1010 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1012 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1014 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1015 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1016 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1017 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1018 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1019 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1021 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1022 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1023 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1024 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1026 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1027 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1028 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1029 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1030 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1031 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1032 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1033 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1034 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1037 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1039 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1040 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1041 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1042 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1043 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1044 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1046 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1048 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1049 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1050 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1051 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1052 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1053 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1056 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1057 you would typically set this variable to
1060 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1064 @node The First Time
1065 @section The First Time
1066 @cindex first time usage
1068 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1069 be subscribed by default.
1071 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1072 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1073 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1074 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1077 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1078 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1079 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1081 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1082 help you with most common problems.
1084 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1085 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1089 @node The Server is Down
1090 @section The Server is Down
1091 @cindex server errors
1093 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1094 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1095 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1097 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1098 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1099 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1100 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1101 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1102 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1103 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1105 @findex gnus-no-server
1106 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1108 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1109 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1110 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1111 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1112 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1113 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1114 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1118 @section Slave Gnusae
1121 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1122 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1123 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1124 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1126 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1127 @code{.newsrc} file.
1129 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1130 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1131 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1132 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1133 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1134 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1135 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1137 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1138 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1139 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1140 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1141 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1142 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1143 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1144 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1146 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1147 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1149 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1150 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1151 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1152 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1153 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1155 @node Fetching a Group
1156 @section Fetching a Group
1157 @cindex fetching a group
1159 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1160 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1161 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1162 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1163 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1164 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1170 @cindex subscription
1172 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1173 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1174 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1175 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1176 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1177 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1178 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1179 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1180 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1183 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1184 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1185 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1189 @node Checking New Groups
1190 @subsection Checking New Groups
1192 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1193 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1194 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1195 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1196 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1197 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1198 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1199 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1200 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1201 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1203 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1204 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1205 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1206 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1207 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1208 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1209 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1210 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1211 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1212 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1213 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1215 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1216 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1217 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1218 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1219 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1220 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1223 @node Subscription Methods
1224 @subsection Subscription Methods
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1227 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1228 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1230 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1231 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1233 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1237 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1238 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1239 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1240 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1241 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1245 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1246 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1250 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1254 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1255 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1256 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1257 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1258 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1259 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1260 up. Or something like that.
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1264 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1265 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1266 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1270 Kill all new groups.
1272 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1273 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1274 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1275 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1276 topic parameter that looks like
1282 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1285 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1290 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1291 A closely related variable is
1292 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1293 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1294 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1295 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1298 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1299 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1301 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1304 @node Filtering New Groups
1305 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1307 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1308 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1309 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1312 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1315 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1316 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1317 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1318 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1319 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1320 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1321 subscribing these groups.
1322 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1323 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1325 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1326 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1327 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1328 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1329 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1330 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1331 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1332 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1334 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1335 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1336 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1337 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1338 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1339 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1340 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1341 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1342 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1343 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1346 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1347 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1350 @node Changing Servers
1351 @section Changing Servers
1352 @cindex changing servers
1354 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1355 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1356 very flaky and you want to use another.
1358 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1359 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1363 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1364 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1365 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1366 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1369 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1370 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1371 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1372 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1374 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1375 @findex gnus-change-server
1376 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1377 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1378 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1379 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1380 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1382 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1383 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1384 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1386 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1389 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1390 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1391 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1392 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1393 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1395 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1396 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1397 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1398 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1400 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1401 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1402 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1403 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1404 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1405 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1406 cache for all groups).
1410 @section Startup Files
1411 @cindex startup files
1416 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1417 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1419 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1420 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1421 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1422 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1423 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1424 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1425 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1427 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1428 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1429 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1430 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1431 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1432 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1434 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1435 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1436 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1437 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1438 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1439 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1440 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1441 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1442 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1443 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1445 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1446 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1447 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1448 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1449 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1450 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1451 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1452 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1453 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1454 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1455 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1456 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1458 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1459 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1460 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1461 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1463 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1464 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1465 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1466 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1467 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1468 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1469 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1470 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1471 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1472 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1475 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1476 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1478 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1479 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1482 @vindex gnus-init-file
1483 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1484 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1485 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1486 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1487 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1488 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1489 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1490 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1491 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1497 @cindex dribble file
1500 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1501 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1502 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1503 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1504 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1507 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1508 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1511 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1512 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1513 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1515 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1516 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1517 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1518 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1519 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1520 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1522 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1524 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1527 @node The Active File
1528 @section The Active File
1530 @cindex ignored groups
1532 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1533 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1534 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1536 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1537 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1538 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1539 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1540 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1541 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1542 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1545 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1546 @c if you set it to anything else.
1548 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1550 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1551 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1552 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1554 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1555 you actually subscribe to.
1557 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1558 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1559 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1560 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1562 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1563 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1564 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1565 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1566 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1567 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1569 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1570 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1571 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1574 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1575 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1576 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1577 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1578 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1579 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1581 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1582 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1584 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1585 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1587 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1588 secondary select methods.
1591 @node Startup Variables
1592 @section Startup Variables
1596 @item gnus-load-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1598 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1599 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1600 times you start gnus.
1602 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1604 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1606 @item gnus-startup-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1608 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1610 @item gnus-started-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1612 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1615 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1617 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1618 generating the group buffer.
1620 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1622 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1623 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1624 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1625 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1626 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1627 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1629 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1631 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1632 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1633 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1634 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1636 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1637 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1638 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1640 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1642 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1644 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1645 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1646 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1647 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1653 @chapter Group Buffer
1654 @cindex group buffer
1656 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1659 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1660 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1661 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1662 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1663 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1664 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1665 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1666 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1667 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1668 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1669 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1670 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1671 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1672 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1673 @c human rights at 9...
1676 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1677 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1678 long as gnus is active.
1682 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1683 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1684 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1685 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1686 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1687 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1688 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1689 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1695 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1696 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1697 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1698 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1699 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1700 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1701 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1702 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1703 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1704 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1705 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1706 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1707 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1708 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1709 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1710 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1711 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1715 @node Group Buffer Format
1716 @section Group Buffer Format
1719 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1720 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1721 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1725 @node Group Line Specification
1726 @subsection Group Line Specification
1727 @cindex group buffer format
1729 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1730 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1732 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1735 25: news.announce.newusers
1736 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1741 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1742 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1743 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1744 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1746 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1747 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1748 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1749 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1750 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1751 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1753 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1755 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1756 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1757 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1758 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1759 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1761 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1762 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1763 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1765 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1770 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1773 Whether the group is subscribed.
1776 Level of subscribedness.
1779 Number of unread articles.
1782 Number of dormant articles.
1785 Number of ticked articles.
1788 Number of read articles.
1791 Number of unseen articles.
1794 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1795 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1797 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1798 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1799 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1800 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1801 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1802 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1803 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1804 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1807 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1810 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1819 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1820 comment element in the group parameters.
1823 Newsgroup description.
1826 @samp{m} if moderated.
1829 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1835 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1841 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1845 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1848 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1849 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1850 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1851 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1852 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1855 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1857 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1861 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1864 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1868 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1869 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1870 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1871 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1872 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1873 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1878 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1879 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1880 group, or a bogus native group.
1883 @node Group Modeline Specification
1884 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1885 @cindex group modeline
1887 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1888 The mode line can be changed by setting
1889 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1890 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1894 The native news server.
1896 The native select method.
1900 @node Group Highlighting
1901 @subsection Group Highlighting
1902 @cindex highlighting
1903 @cindex group highlighting
1905 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1906 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1907 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1908 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1909 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1911 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1915 (cond (window-system
1916 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1917 (defface my-group-face-1
1918 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-2
1920 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-3
1922 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1923 (defface my-group-face-4
1924 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-5
1926 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1928 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1929 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1930 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1931 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1932 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1933 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1936 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1938 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1945 The number of unread articles in the group.
1949 Whether the group is a mail group.
1951 The level of the group.
1953 The score of the group.
1955 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1957 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1958 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1960 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1961 topic being inserted.
1964 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1965 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1966 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1968 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1969 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1970 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1971 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1972 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1975 @node Group Maneuvering
1976 @section Group Maneuvering
1977 @cindex group movement
1979 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1980 expected, hopefully.
1986 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1987 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1988 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1995 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1996 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2001 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2005 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2006 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2010 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2011 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2012 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2021 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2027 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2028 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2029 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2034 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2035 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2036 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2041 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2042 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2045 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2046 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2047 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2048 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2052 @node Selecting a Group
2053 @section Selecting a Group
2054 @cindex group selection
2059 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2060 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2061 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2062 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2063 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2064 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2065 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2066 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2067 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2068 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2070 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2071 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2072 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2074 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2075 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2080 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2081 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2082 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2083 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2084 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2088 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2090 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2091 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2092 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2093 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2094 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2095 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2096 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2097 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2100 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2102 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2103 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2104 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2107 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2108 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2109 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2110 doing any processing of its contents
2111 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2112 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2113 manner will have no permanent effects.
2117 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2118 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2119 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2120 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2121 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2122 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2123 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2124 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2127 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2128 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2129 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2130 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2131 Which article this is is controlled by the
2132 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2138 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2141 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2144 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2146 @item unseen-or-unread
2147 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2148 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2152 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2156 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2157 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2159 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2160 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2161 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2162 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2166 @node Subscription Commands
2167 @section Subscription Commands
2168 @cindex subscription
2176 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2177 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2178 Toggle subscription to the current group
2179 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2185 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2186 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2187 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2188 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2195 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2196 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2203 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2206 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2207 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2208 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2209 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2210 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2216 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2217 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2221 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2222 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2225 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2226 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2227 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2228 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2229 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2230 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2231 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2232 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2233 @file{.newsrc} file.
2237 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2247 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2248 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2249 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2250 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2251 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2252 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2257 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2258 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2259 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2264 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2265 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2267 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2268 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2269 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2270 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2271 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2272 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2279 @section Group Levels
2283 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2284 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2285 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2286 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2287 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2289 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2295 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2296 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2297 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2298 prompted for a level.
2301 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2302 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2303 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2304 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2305 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2306 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2307 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2308 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2309 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2310 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2311 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2312 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2313 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2314 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2315 reasons of efficiency.
2317 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2318 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2320 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2321 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2322 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2323 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2324 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2325 groups are hidden, in a way.
2327 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2328 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2329 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2330 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2331 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2332 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2334 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2335 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2336 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2337 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2338 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2339 list of killed groups.)
2341 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2342 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2343 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2345 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2346 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2347 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2348 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2349 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2350 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2351 relevant valid ranges.
2353 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2354 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2355 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2356 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2357 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2358 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2361 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2362 one with the best level.
2364 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2365 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2366 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2369 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2370 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2371 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2372 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2375 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2376 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2377 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2378 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2380 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2381 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2382 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2383 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2384 to 5. The default is 6.
2388 @section Group Score
2393 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2394 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2395 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2398 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2399 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2400 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2401 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2402 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2403 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2404 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2405 least significant part.))
2407 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2408 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2409 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2410 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2411 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2412 action after each summary exit, you can add
2413 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2414 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2415 slow things down somewhat.
2418 @node Marking Groups
2419 @section Marking Groups
2420 @cindex marking groups
2422 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2423 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2424 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2425 bidding on those groups.
2427 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2428 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2429 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2437 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2438 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2444 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2445 Remove the mark from the current group
2446 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2451 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2456 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2461 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2465 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2466 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2467 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2470 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2472 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2473 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2474 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2475 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2476 the command to be executed.
2479 @node Foreign Groups
2480 @section Foreign Groups
2481 @cindex foreign groups
2483 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2484 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2485 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2486 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2493 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2494 @cindex making groups
2495 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2496 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2497 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2501 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2502 @cindex renaming groups
2503 Rename the current group to something else
2504 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2505 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2511 @findex gnus-group-customize
2512 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2516 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2517 @cindex renaming groups
2518 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2519 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2524 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2525 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2529 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2530 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2531 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2537 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2538 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2544 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2548 @cindex (ding) archive
2549 @cindex archive group
2550 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2551 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2552 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2553 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2554 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2555 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2556 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2560 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2562 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2563 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2564 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2565 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2569 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2571 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2572 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2573 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2577 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2578 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2580 Make a group based on some file or other
2581 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2582 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2583 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2584 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2585 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2586 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2587 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2588 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2589 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2593 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2594 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2595 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2596 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2600 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2604 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2605 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2606 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2607 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2608 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2609 @xref{Web Searches}.
2611 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2612 to a particular group by using a match string like
2613 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2616 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2617 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2618 This function will delete the current group
2619 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2620 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2621 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2622 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2623 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2627 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2628 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2629 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2633 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2634 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2635 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2638 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2641 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2642 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2643 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2644 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2645 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2646 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2650 @node Group Parameters
2651 @section Group Parameters
2652 @cindex group parameters
2654 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2655 Here's an example group parameter list:
2658 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2662 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2663 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2664 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2665 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2667 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2668 is an alist of regexps and values.
2670 The following group parameters can be used:
2675 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2678 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2681 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2682 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2683 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2684 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2685 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2687 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2688 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2689 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2690 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2691 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2692 list address instead.
2694 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2698 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2701 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2704 It is totally ignored
2705 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2706 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2708 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2709 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2710 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2711 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2712 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2714 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2715 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2716 sending the message.
2718 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2719 @cindex Mail List Groups
2720 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2721 entering summary buffer.
2723 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2728 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2729 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2730 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2731 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2732 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2733 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2735 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2736 directly uses this group parameter.
2740 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2741 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2742 of whether it has any unread articles.
2744 @item broken-reply-to
2745 @cindex broken-reply-to
2746 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2747 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2748 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2749 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2750 broken behavior. So there!
2754 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2755 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2759 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2760 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2761 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2766 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2767 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2768 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2769 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2770 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2771 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2772 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2773 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2774 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2778 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2779 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2780 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2782 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2785 @cindex total-expire
2786 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2787 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2788 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2789 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2792 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2796 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2797 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2798 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2799 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2800 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2801 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2802 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2805 @cindex score file group parameter
2806 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2807 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2808 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2811 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2812 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2813 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2814 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2817 @cindex admin-address
2818 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2819 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2820 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2821 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2825 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2826 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2830 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2833 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2834 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2837 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2841 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2843 Here are some examples:
2847 Display only unread articles.
2850 Display everything except expirable articles.
2852 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2853 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2857 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2858 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2859 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2860 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2861 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2865 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2866 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2867 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2871 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2872 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2873 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2877 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2878 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2879 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2881 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2883 @item ignored-charsets
2884 @cindex ignored-charset
2885 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2886 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2887 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2889 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2892 @cindex posting-style
2893 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2894 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2895 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2896 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2897 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2899 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2900 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2901 like this in the group parameters:
2906 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2907 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2912 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2913 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2917 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2918 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2919 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2920 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2921 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2925 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2926 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2927 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2928 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2930 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2931 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2932 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2933 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2936 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2937 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2941 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2944 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2945 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2946 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2947 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2948 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2949 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2950 @code{eval}ed there.
2952 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2953 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2954 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2955 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2956 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2957 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2958 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2959 parameters for the group.
2962 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2963 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2964 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2965 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2966 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2970 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2971 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2972 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2973 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2974 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2976 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2977 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2981 (setq gnus-parameters
2983 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2984 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2985 (gnus-summary-line-format
2986 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2990 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2994 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2998 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3001 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3002 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3005 @node Listing Groups
3006 @section Listing Groups
3007 @cindex group listing
3009 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3017 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3018 List all groups that have unread articles
3019 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3020 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3021 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3022 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3029 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3030 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3031 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3032 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3033 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3034 unsubscribed groups).
3038 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3039 List all unread groups on a specific level
3040 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3041 with no unread articles.
3045 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3046 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3047 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3048 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3053 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3054 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3058 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3059 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3060 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3064 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3065 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3070 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3071 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3072 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3073 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3074 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3075 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3076 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3080 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3081 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3082 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3086 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3087 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3088 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3092 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3093 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3097 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3098 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3102 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3103 List groups limited within the current selection
3104 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3108 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3109 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3113 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3114 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3118 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3119 @cindex visible group parameter
3120 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3121 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3122 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3123 get the same effect.
3125 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3126 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3127 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3128 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3129 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3132 @node Sorting Groups
3133 @section Sorting Groups
3134 @cindex sorting groups
3136 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3137 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3138 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3139 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3140 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3141 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3146 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3148 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3150 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3151 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3152 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3156 Sort by group level.
3158 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3160 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3162 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3163 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3164 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3165 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3167 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3168 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3169 Sort by number of unread articles.
3171 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3173 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3175 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3177 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3182 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3183 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3187 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3188 some sorting criteria:
3192 @kindex G S a (Group)
3193 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3194 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3195 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3198 @kindex G S u (Group)
3199 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3200 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3201 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3204 @kindex G S l (Group)
3205 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3206 Sort the group buffer by group level
3207 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3210 @kindex G S v (Group)
3211 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3212 Sort the group buffer by group score
3213 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3216 @kindex G S r (Group)
3217 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3218 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3219 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3222 @kindex G S m (Group)
3223 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3224 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3225 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3228 @kindex G S n (Group)
3229 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3230 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3231 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3235 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3236 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3238 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3239 commands will sort in reverse order.
3241 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3245 @kindex G P a (Group)
3246 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3247 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3248 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3251 @kindex G P u (Group)
3252 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3253 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3254 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3257 @kindex G P l (Group)
3258 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3259 Sort the groups by group level
3260 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3263 @kindex G P v (Group)
3264 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3265 Sort the groups by group score
3266 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3269 @kindex G P r (Group)
3270 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3271 Sort the groups by group rank
3272 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3275 @kindex G P m (Group)
3276 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3277 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3278 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3281 @kindex G P n (Group)
3282 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3283 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3284 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3287 @kindex G P s (Group)
3288 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3289 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3293 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3297 @node Group Maintenance
3298 @section Group Maintenance
3299 @cindex bogus groups
3304 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3305 Find bogus groups and delete them
3306 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3310 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3311 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3312 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3313 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3314 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3318 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3319 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3320 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3321 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3322 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3323 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3326 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3327 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3328 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3329 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3334 @node Browse Foreign Server
3335 @section Browse Foreign Server
3336 @cindex foreign servers
3337 @cindex browsing servers
3342 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3343 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3344 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3345 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3348 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3349 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3350 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3351 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3353 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3358 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3359 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3363 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3364 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3367 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3368 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3369 Enter the current group and display the first article
3370 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3373 @kindex RET (Browse)
3374 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3375 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3379 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3380 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3381 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3387 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3388 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3392 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3393 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3397 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3398 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3399 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3404 @section Exiting gnus
3405 @cindex exiting gnus
3407 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3412 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3413 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3414 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3415 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3419 @findex gnus-group-exit
3420 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3421 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3425 @findex gnus-group-quit
3426 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3427 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3430 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3431 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3432 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3433 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3434 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3439 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3440 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3441 trying to customize meta-variables.
3446 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3447 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3448 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3454 @section Group Topics
3457 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3458 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3459 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3460 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3461 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3462 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3466 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3467 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3478 2: alt.religion.emacs
3481 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3483 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3484 13: comp.sources.unix
3487 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3489 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3490 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3491 is a toggling command.)
3493 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3494 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3495 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3496 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3499 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3500 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3501 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3504 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3508 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3509 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3510 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3511 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3512 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3516 @node Topic Commands
3517 @subsection Topic Commands
3518 @cindex topic commands
3520 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3521 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3522 definitions slightly.
3524 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3525 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3526 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3527 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3528 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3529 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3531 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3538 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3539 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3540 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3544 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3546 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3547 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3548 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3549 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3552 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3553 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3554 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3555 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3559 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3560 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3561 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3562 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3568 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3569 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3570 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3574 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3575 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3576 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3579 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3580 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3581 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3582 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3583 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3585 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3586 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3590 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3591 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3598 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3600 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3601 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3602 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3603 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3604 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3605 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3609 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3615 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3616 Move the current group to some other topic
3617 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3618 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3622 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3623 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3627 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3628 Copy the current group to some other topic
3629 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3630 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3634 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3635 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3636 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3640 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3641 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3642 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3646 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3647 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3648 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3649 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3650 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3651 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3652 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3655 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3656 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3660 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3661 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3662 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3666 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3667 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3668 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3672 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3673 Toggle hiding empty topics
3674 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3678 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3679 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3683 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3684 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3685 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3686 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3689 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3691 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3692 expiry process (if any)
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3697 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3698 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3701 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3702 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3703 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3707 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3708 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3709 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3712 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3713 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3714 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3717 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3718 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3719 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3723 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3724 @cindex group parameters
3725 @cindex topic parameters
3727 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3728 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3733 @node Topic Variables
3734 @subsection Topic Variables
3735 @cindex topic variables
3737 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3738 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3740 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3741 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3742 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3755 Number of groups in the topic.
3757 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3759 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3762 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3763 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3764 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3767 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3768 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3770 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3771 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3772 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3776 @subsection Topic Sorting
3777 @cindex topic sorting
3779 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3785 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3786 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3787 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3788 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3791 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3792 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3793 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3794 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3797 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3798 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3799 Sort the current topic by group level
3800 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3803 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3804 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3805 Sort the current topic by group score
3806 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3809 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3810 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3811 Sort the current topic by group rank
3812 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3815 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3816 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3817 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3818 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3821 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3822 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3823 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3824 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3828 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3829 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3830 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3831 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3835 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3836 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3840 @node Topic Topology
3841 @subsection Topic Topology
3842 @cindex topic topology
3845 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3851 2: alt.religion.emacs
3854 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3856 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3857 13: comp.sources.unix
3860 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3861 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3862 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3867 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3868 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3872 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3873 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3874 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3875 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3876 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3877 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3879 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3880 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3881 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3884 @node Topic Parameters
3885 @subsection Topic Parameters
3886 @cindex topic parameters
3888 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3889 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3890 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3892 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3897 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3898 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3899 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3902 @item subscribe-level
3903 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3904 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3905 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3909 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3910 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3911 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3912 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3918 2: alt.religion.emacs
3922 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3924 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3925 13: comp.sources.unix
3929 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3930 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3931 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3932 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3933 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3934 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3936 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3937 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3938 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3939 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3940 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3942 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3943 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3944 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3945 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3946 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3947 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3948 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3949 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3952 @node Misc Group Stuff
3953 @section Misc Group Stuff
3956 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3957 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3958 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3959 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3960 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3967 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3968 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3969 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3973 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3974 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3975 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3976 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3977 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3978 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3979 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3983 @findex gnus-group-mail
3984 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3985 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3986 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3987 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3991 @findex gnus-group-news
3992 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3993 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3994 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3996 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3997 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3998 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3999 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4000 for this to work though.
4004 Variables for the group buffer:
4008 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4009 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4010 is called after the group buffer has been
4013 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4014 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4015 is called after the group buffer is
4016 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4019 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4020 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4021 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4022 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4024 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4025 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4026 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4027 whether they are empty or not.
4029 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4030 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4031 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4032 non-ASCII group names.
4036 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4037 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4040 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4041 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4042 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4043 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4044 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4045 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4049 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4050 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4055 @node Scanning New Messages
4056 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4057 @cindex new messages
4058 @cindex scanning new news
4064 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4065 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4066 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4067 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4068 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4069 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4074 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4075 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4076 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4077 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4078 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4079 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4080 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4082 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4083 @cindex activating groups
4085 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4086 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4091 @findex gnus-group-restart
4092 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4093 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4094 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4098 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4099 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4101 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4102 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4106 @node Group Information
4107 @subsection Group Information
4108 @cindex group information
4109 @cindex information on groups
4116 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4117 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4120 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4121 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4122 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4123 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4124 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4125 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4126 for fetching the file.
4128 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4129 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4133 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4134 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4136 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4137 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4140 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4141 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4142 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4146 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4147 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4148 @cindex control message
4149 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4150 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4151 group if given a prefix argument.
4153 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4154 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4155 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4158 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4159 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4160 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4164 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4166 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4167 @cindex describing groups
4168 @cindex group description
4169 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4170 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4171 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4175 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4176 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4177 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4184 @findex gnus-version
4185 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4189 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4190 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4193 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4196 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4197 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4201 @node Group Timestamp
4202 @subsection Group Timestamp
4204 @cindex group timestamps
4206 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4207 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4208 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4211 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4214 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4216 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4217 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4220 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4221 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4224 This will result in lines looking like:
4227 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4228 0: custom 19961002T012713
4231 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4232 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4236 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4237 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4240 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4241 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4245 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4246 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4247 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4248 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4250 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4256 @subsection File Commands
4257 @cindex file commands
4263 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4264 @vindex gnus-init-file
4265 @cindex reading init file
4266 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4267 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4272 @cindex saving .newsrc
4273 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4274 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4275 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4278 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4279 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4280 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4285 @node Sieve Commands
4286 @subsection Sieve Commands
4287 @cindex group sieve commands
4289 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4290 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4291 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4292 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4293 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4296 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4297 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4298 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4299 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4300 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4301 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4302 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4303 regenerate the Sieve script.
4305 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4306 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4307 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4308 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4309 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4310 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4311 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4312 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4313 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4314 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4317 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4318 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4323 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4329 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4330 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4331 @cindex generating sieve script
4332 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4333 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4337 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4338 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4339 @cindex updating sieve script
4340 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4341 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4342 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4347 @node Summary Buffer
4348 @chapter Summary Buffer
4349 @cindex summary buffer
4351 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4352 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4354 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4355 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4357 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4360 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4361 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4362 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4363 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4364 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4365 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4366 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4367 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4368 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4369 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4370 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4371 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4372 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4373 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4374 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4375 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4376 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4377 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4378 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4379 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4380 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4381 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4382 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4383 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4384 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4385 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4386 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4387 or reselecting the current group.
4388 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4389 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4390 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4391 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4395 @node Summary Buffer Format
4396 @section Summary Buffer Format
4397 @cindex summary buffer format
4401 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4402 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4403 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4409 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4410 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4411 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4412 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4415 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4416 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4417 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4418 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4419 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4420 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4421 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4422 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4423 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4424 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4425 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4426 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4427 other function instead:
4430 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4431 'mail-extract-address-components)
4434 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4435 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4436 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4437 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4440 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4441 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4443 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4444 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4445 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4446 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4447 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4449 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4450 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4451 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4452 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4453 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4454 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4456 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4458 The following format specification characters and extended format
4459 specification(s) are understood:
4465 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4466 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4468 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4469 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4470 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4472 Full @code{From} header.
4474 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4476 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4479 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4480 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4481 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4482 may be more thorough.
4484 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4487 Number of lines in the article.
4489 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4490 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4492 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4493 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4495 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4497 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4500 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4501 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4503 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4504 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4506 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4507 for adopted articles.
4509 One space for each thread level.
4511 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4513 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4516 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4517 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4518 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4521 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4523 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4524 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4525 default level. If the difference between
4526 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4527 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4535 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4537 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4543 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4544 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4546 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4547 article has any children.
4553 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4554 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4556 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4557 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4558 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4559 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4560 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4561 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4564 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4565 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4566 There can only be one such area.
4568 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4569 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4570 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4571 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4572 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4573 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4575 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4576 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4578 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4581 @node To From Newsgroups
4582 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4586 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4587 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4588 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4589 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4590 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4594 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4595 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4596 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4600 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4601 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4604 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4605 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4608 @findex gnus-extra-header
4609 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4610 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4611 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4614 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4618 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4619 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4620 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4621 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4622 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4623 headers are used instead.
4627 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4628 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4629 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4630 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4631 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4632 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4634 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4635 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4636 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4637 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4639 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4643 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4645 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4646 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4647 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4648 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4652 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4655 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4656 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4659 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4660 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4661 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4667 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4668 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4671 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4672 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4674 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4675 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4676 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4677 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4679 Here are the elements you can play with:
4685 Unprefixed group name.
4687 Current article number.
4689 Current article score.
4693 Number of unread articles in this group.
4695 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4698 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4699 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4700 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4701 and no unselected ones.
4703 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4704 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4706 Subject of the current article.
4708 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4710 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4712 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4714 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4716 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4718 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4722 @node Summary Highlighting
4723 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4727 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4728 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4729 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4730 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4731 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4733 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4734 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4735 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4736 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4738 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4739 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4740 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4741 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4743 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4744 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4745 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4746 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4747 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4748 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4751 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4752 ((> score default) . bold))
4754 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4755 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4759 @node Summary Maneuvering
4760 @section Summary Maneuvering
4761 @cindex summary movement
4763 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4764 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4766 None of these commands select articles.
4771 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4772 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4773 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4774 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4775 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4779 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4780 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4781 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4782 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4783 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4786 @kindex G g (Summary)
4787 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4788 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4789 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4792 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4793 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4794 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4795 to the group buffer.
4797 Variables related to summary movement:
4801 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4802 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4803 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4804 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4805 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4806 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4807 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4808 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4809 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4810 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4811 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4812 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4813 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4814 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4816 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4817 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4818 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4819 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4820 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4821 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4822 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4824 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4826 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4827 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4828 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4829 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4830 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4832 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4833 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4834 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4835 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4836 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4837 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4838 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4839 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4842 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4843 the given number of lines from the top.
4848 @node Choosing Articles
4849 @section Choosing Articles
4850 @cindex selecting articles
4853 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4854 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4858 @node Choosing Commands
4859 @subsection Choosing Commands
4861 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4862 and they all select and display an article.
4864 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4865 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4869 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4870 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4871 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4872 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4877 @kindex G n (Summary)
4878 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4879 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4880 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4885 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4886 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4887 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4892 @kindex G N (Summary)
4893 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4894 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4899 @kindex G P (Summary)
4900 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4901 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4904 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4905 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4906 Go to the next article with the same subject
4907 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4910 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4911 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4912 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4913 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4917 @kindex G f (Summary)
4919 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4920 Go to the first unread article
4921 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4925 @kindex G b (Summary)
4927 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4928 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4929 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4930 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4935 @kindex G l (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4937 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4940 @kindex G o (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4943 @cindex article history
4944 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4946 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4947 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4948 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4949 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4954 @kindex G j (Summary)
4955 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4956 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4957 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4962 @node Choosing Variables
4963 @subsection Choosing Variables
4965 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4968 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4969 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4970 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4971 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4972 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4973 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4975 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4976 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4977 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4978 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you wish
4979 that the Agent saves all articles you read, putting
4980 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook should do it.
4982 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4983 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4984 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4985 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4986 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4987 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4988 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4989 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4990 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4991 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4992 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4993 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4994 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4995 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5000 @node Paging the Article
5001 @section Scrolling the Article
5002 @cindex article scrolling
5007 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5009 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5010 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5011 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5014 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5015 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5016 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5019 @kindex RET (Summary)
5020 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5021 Scroll the current article one line forward
5022 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5025 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5026 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5027 Scroll the current article one line backward
5028 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5032 @kindex A g (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5035 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5036 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5037 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5038 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5039 the way it came from the server.
5041 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5042 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5043 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5046 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5051 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5056 @kindex A < (Summary)
5057 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5058 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5059 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5064 @kindex A > (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5066 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5070 @kindex A s (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5073 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5074 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5078 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5079 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5084 @node Reply Followup and Post
5085 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5088 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5089 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5090 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5091 * Canceling and Superseding::
5095 @node Summary Mail Commands
5096 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5098 @cindex composing mail
5100 Commands for composing a mail message:
5106 @kindex S r (Summary)
5108 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5109 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5110 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5111 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5112 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5117 @kindex S R (Summary)
5118 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5119 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5120 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5121 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5122 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5125 @kindex S w (Summary)
5126 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5127 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5128 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5129 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5130 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5133 @kindex S W (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5135 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5136 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5137 the process/prefix convention.
5140 @kindex S v (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5142 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5143 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5144 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5145 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5146 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5149 @kindex S V (Summary)
5150 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5151 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5152 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5153 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5156 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5158 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5159 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5162 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5164 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5165 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5166 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5170 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5171 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5172 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5173 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5174 Forward the current article to some other person
5175 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5176 headers of the forwarded article.
5181 @kindex S m (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5183 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5184 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5185 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5186 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5191 @kindex S i (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5193 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5194 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5195 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5197 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5198 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5199 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5200 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5201 for this to work though.
5204 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5206 @cindex bouncing mail
5207 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5208 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5209 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5210 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5211 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5212 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5213 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5214 very well fail, though.
5217 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5218 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5219 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5220 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5221 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5222 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5223 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5224 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5225 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5226 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5228 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5229 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5230 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5231 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5232 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5234 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5235 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5238 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5240 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5241 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5242 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5245 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5247 @cindex crossposting
5248 @cindex excessive crossposting
5249 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5250 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5252 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5253 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5254 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5255 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5256 command understands the process/prefix convention
5257 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5261 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5262 Manual}, for more information.
5265 @node Summary Post Commands
5266 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5268 @cindex composing news
5270 Commands for posting a news article:
5276 @kindex S p (Summary)
5277 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5278 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5279 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5280 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5281 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5286 @kindex S f (Summary)
5287 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5288 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5289 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5293 @kindex S F (Summary)
5295 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5296 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5297 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5299 process/prefix convention.
5302 @kindex S n (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5304 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5305 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5308 @kindex S N (Summary)
5309 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5310 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5311 message through mail and include the original message
5312 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5313 the process/prefix convention.
5316 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5317 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5318 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5319 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5320 headers of the forwarded article.
5323 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5324 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5326 @cindex making digests
5327 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5328 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5329 process/prefix convention.
5332 @kindex S u (Summary)
5333 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5334 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5335 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5336 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5339 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5340 Manual}, for more information.
5343 @node Summary Message Commands
5344 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5348 @kindex S y (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5350 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5351 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5352 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5353 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5358 @node Canceling and Superseding
5359 @subsection Canceling Articles
5360 @cindex canceling articles
5361 @cindex superseding articles
5363 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5364 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5366 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5368 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5370 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5371 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5372 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5373 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5374 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5375 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5377 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5378 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5381 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5382 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5383 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5385 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5386 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5387 your original article.
5389 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5391 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5392 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5393 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5396 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5397 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5398 have posted almost the same article twice.
5400 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5401 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5402 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5403 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5404 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5405 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5406 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5407 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5408 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5409 canceled/superseded.
5411 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5413 @node Delayed Articles
5414 @section Delayed Articles
5415 @cindex delayed sending
5416 @cindex send delayed
5418 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5419 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5420 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5421 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5424 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5427 @findex gnus-delay-article
5428 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5429 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5430 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5431 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5435 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5436 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5437 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5438 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5441 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5442 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5443 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5446 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5447 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5448 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5449 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5450 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5451 that means a time tomorrow.
5454 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5455 couple of variables:
5458 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5459 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5460 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5461 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5463 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5464 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5465 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5466 formats described above.
5468 @item gnus-delay-group
5469 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5470 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5471 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5472 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5474 @item gnus-delay-header
5475 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5476 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5477 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5478 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5481 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5482 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5483 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5484 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5485 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5487 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5488 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5489 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5490 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5491 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5492 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5495 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5496 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5498 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5499 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5500 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5501 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5502 argument is ignored.
5504 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5505 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5506 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5510 @node Marking Articles
5511 @section Marking Articles
5512 @cindex article marking
5513 @cindex article ticking
5516 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5518 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5519 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5520 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5522 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5525 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5526 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5527 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5531 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5535 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5536 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5537 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5541 @node Unread Articles
5542 @subsection Unread Articles
5544 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5549 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5550 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5552 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5553 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5554 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5555 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5556 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5557 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5558 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5561 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5562 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5564 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5565 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5566 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5567 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5571 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5572 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5574 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5579 @subsection Read Articles
5580 @cindex expirable mark
5582 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5587 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5588 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5589 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5592 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5593 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5596 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5597 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5598 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5601 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5602 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5605 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5606 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5609 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5610 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5613 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5614 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5617 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5618 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5621 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5622 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5625 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5626 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5630 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5631 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5632 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5636 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5637 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5639 One more special mark, though:
5643 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5644 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5646 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5647 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5648 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5649 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5655 @subsection Other Marks
5656 @cindex process mark
5659 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5665 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5666 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5667 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5668 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5669 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5672 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5673 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5674 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5675 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5678 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5679 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5680 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5683 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5684 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5685 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5688 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5689 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5690 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5691 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5694 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5695 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5696 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5697 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5698 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5699 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5702 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5703 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5704 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5705 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5708 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5709 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5710 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5711 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5712 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5713 which character to use.)
5716 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5717 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5718 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5719 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5720 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5721 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5725 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5726 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5727 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5728 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5729 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5732 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5733 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5734 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5735 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5736 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5737 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5741 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5742 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5743 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5745 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5746 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5747 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5751 @subsection Setting Marks
5752 @cindex setting marks
5754 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5759 @kindex M c (Summary)
5760 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5762 @cindex mark as unread
5763 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5764 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5770 @kindex M t (Summary)
5771 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5772 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5773 @xref{Article Caching}.
5778 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5780 Mark the current article as dormant
5781 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5785 @kindex M d (Summary)
5787 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5788 Mark the current article as read
5789 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5793 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5794 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5795 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5800 @kindex M k (Summary)
5801 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5802 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5803 and then select the next unread article
5804 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5808 @kindex M K (Summary)
5809 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5811 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5812 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5815 @kindex M C (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5817 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5818 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5821 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5823 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5824 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5827 @kindex M H (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5829 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5833 @kindex M h (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5835 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5839 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5841 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5842 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5845 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5847 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5848 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5852 @kindex M e (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5855 Mark the current article as expirable
5856 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5859 @kindex M b (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5861 Set a bookmark in the current article
5862 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5865 @kindex M B (Summary)
5866 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5867 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5868 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5871 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5873 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5874 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5877 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5879 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5880 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5883 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5884 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5885 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5886 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5887 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5890 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5891 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5892 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5893 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5894 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5895 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5896 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5897 The default is @code{t}.
5900 @node Generic Marking Commands
5901 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5903 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5904 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5905 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5906 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5907 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5910 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5911 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5914 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5915 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5916 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5917 to list in this manual.
5919 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5920 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5921 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5922 article, you could say something like:
5925 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5926 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5927 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5933 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5934 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5938 @node Setting Process Marks
5939 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5940 @cindex setting process marks
5942 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
5943 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
5944 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
5945 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
5946 commands into the cache. For more information,
5947 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
5954 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5956 Mark the current article with the process mark
5957 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5958 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5962 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5963 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5964 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5968 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5970 Remove the process mark from all articles
5971 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5974 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5976 Invert the list of process marked articles
5977 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5980 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5982 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5983 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5986 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5988 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5989 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5992 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5993 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5994 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5998 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5999 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6002 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6003 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6004 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6005 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6008 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6009 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6010 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6011 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6014 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6015 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6016 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6017 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6020 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6021 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6022 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6025 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6026 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6027 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6028 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6031 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6032 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6033 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6036 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6037 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6038 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6039 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6042 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6043 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6044 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6045 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6048 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6049 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6050 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6051 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6054 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6055 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6056 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6057 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6061 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6062 set process marks based on article body contents.
6069 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6070 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6071 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6074 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6075 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6076 additional articles.
6082 @kindex / / (Summary)
6083 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6084 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6085 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6089 @kindex / a (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6091 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6092 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6096 @kindex / x (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6098 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6099 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6100 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6105 @kindex / u (Summary)
6107 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6108 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6109 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6110 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6111 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6114 @kindex / m (Summary)
6115 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6116 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6117 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6120 @kindex / t (Summary)
6121 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6122 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6123 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6124 articles younger than that number of days.
6127 @kindex / n (Summary)
6128 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6129 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6130 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6131 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6134 @kindex / w (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6136 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6137 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6141 @kindex / . (Summary)
6142 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6143 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6144 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6147 @kindex / v (Summary)
6148 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6149 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6150 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6153 @kindex / p (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6155 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6156 group parameter predicate
6157 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6158 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6162 @kindex M S (Summary)
6163 @kindex / E (Summary)
6164 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6165 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6166 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6169 @kindex / D (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6171 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6172 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6175 @kindex / * (Summary)
6176 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6177 Include all cached articles in the limit
6178 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6181 @kindex / d (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6183 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6184 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6187 @kindex / M (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6189 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6192 @kindex / T (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6194 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6197 @kindex / c (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6199 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6200 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6203 @kindex / C (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6205 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6207 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6210 @kindex / N (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6212 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6213 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6216 @kindex / o (Summary)
6217 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6218 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6219 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6227 @cindex article threading
6229 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6230 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6231 hierarchical fashion.
6233 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6234 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6235 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6236 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6237 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6238 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6239 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6241 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6245 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6248 A tree-like article structure.
6251 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6254 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6255 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6256 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6257 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6258 called loose threads.
6260 @item thread gathering
6261 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6263 @item sparse threads
6264 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6265 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6271 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6272 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6276 @node Customizing Threading
6277 @subsection Customizing Threading
6278 @cindex customizing threading
6281 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6282 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6283 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6284 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6289 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6292 @cindex loose threads
6295 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6296 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6297 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6298 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6299 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6300 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6302 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6303 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6304 There are four possible values:
6308 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6309 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6310 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6311 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6312 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6317 @cindex adopting articles
6322 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6323 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6324 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6325 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6328 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6329 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6330 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6331 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6332 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6333 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6334 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6335 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6336 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6337 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to t.
6340 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6341 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6342 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6346 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6347 display them after one another.
6350 Don't gather loose threads.
6353 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6354 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6355 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6356 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6357 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6358 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6359 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6360 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6361 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6362 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6363 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6365 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6366 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6367 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6370 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6371 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6372 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6373 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6374 simplification is used.
6376 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6377 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6378 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6379 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6381 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6383 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6389 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6390 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6391 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6392 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6397 (mapconcat 'identity
6398 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6400 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6403 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6406 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6407 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6408 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6409 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6410 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6411 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6413 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6416 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6417 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6418 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6420 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6421 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6424 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6425 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6426 Remove excessive whitespace.
6428 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6429 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6430 Remove all whitespace.
6433 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6436 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6437 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6438 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6439 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6440 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6441 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6442 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6443 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6445 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6446 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6447 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6448 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6449 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6450 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6451 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6452 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6453 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6457 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6458 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6459 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6460 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6462 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6463 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6464 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6467 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6471 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6472 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6478 @node Filling In Threads
6479 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6482 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6483 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6484 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6485 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6486 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6487 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6488 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6489 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6490 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6491 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6492 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6493 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6496 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6497 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6498 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6500 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6501 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6502 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6503 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6504 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6505 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6506 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6507 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6508 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6509 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6510 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6511 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6512 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6513 @code{nil} by default.
6515 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6516 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6517 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6518 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6519 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6520 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6521 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6523 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6524 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6525 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6530 @node More Threading
6531 @subsubsection More Threading
6534 @item gnus-show-threads
6535 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6536 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6537 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6538 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6539 slower and more awkward.
6541 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6542 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6543 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6546 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6547 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6548 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6553 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6554 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6555 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6558 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6559 unread, but you get my drift.)
6562 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6563 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6564 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6565 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6566 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6567 threads are expunged.
6569 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6570 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6571 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6574 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6575 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6576 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6577 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6578 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6579 result in a new thread.
6581 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6582 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6583 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6586 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6587 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6588 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6589 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6590 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6591 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6592 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6593 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6594 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6595 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6596 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6601 @node Low-Level Threading
6602 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6606 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6607 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6608 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6609 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6610 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6611 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6613 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6614 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6615 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6616 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6617 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6618 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6619 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6620 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6621 meaningful. Here's one example:
6624 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6626 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6627 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6629 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6631 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6638 @node Thread Commands
6639 @subsection Thread Commands
6640 @cindex thread commands
6646 @kindex T k (Summary)
6647 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6649 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6650 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6651 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6656 @kindex T l (Summary)
6657 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6658 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6659 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6660 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6663 @kindex T i (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6665 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6666 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6669 @kindex T # (Summary)
6670 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6671 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6672 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6675 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6676 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6677 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6678 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6681 @kindex T T (Summary)
6682 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6683 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6686 @kindex T s (Summary)
6687 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6688 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6689 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6692 @kindex T h (Summary)
6693 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6694 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6697 @kindex T S (Summary)
6698 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6699 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6702 @kindex T H (Summary)
6703 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6704 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6707 @kindex T t (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6709 Re-thread the current article's thread
6710 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6711 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6714 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6715 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6716 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6717 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6721 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6722 understand the numeric prefix.
6727 @kindex T n (Summary)
6729 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6731 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6733 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6736 @kindex T p (Summary)
6738 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6740 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6742 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6745 @kindex T d (Summary)
6746 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6747 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6750 @kindex T u (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6752 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6755 @kindex T o (Summary)
6756 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6757 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6760 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6761 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6762 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6763 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6764 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6765 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6766 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6767 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6768 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6769 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6770 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6771 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6775 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6776 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6778 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6779 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6780 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6781 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6782 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6783 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6784 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6785 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6786 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6787 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6788 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6789 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6790 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6792 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6793 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6794 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6795 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6796 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6797 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6798 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6799 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6801 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6802 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6803 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6805 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6806 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6807 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6808 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6809 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6810 ascending article order.
6812 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6813 by number, you could do something like:
6816 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6817 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6818 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6819 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6822 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6823 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6824 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6825 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6826 which the articles arrived.
6828 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6832 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6834 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6835 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6838 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6839 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6840 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6841 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6844 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6845 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6846 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6847 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6848 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6849 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6850 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6851 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6852 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6853 variable. It is very similar to the
6854 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6855 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6856 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6857 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6858 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6859 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6860 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6862 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6866 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6867 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6868 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6873 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6874 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6875 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6876 @cindex article pre-fetch
6879 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6880 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6881 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6882 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6883 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6885 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6886 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6888 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6889 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6890 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6891 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6892 connection is blocked.
6894 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6895 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6896 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6897 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6899 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6900 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6901 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6902 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6905 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6908 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6909 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6910 happen automatically.
6912 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6913 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6914 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6915 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6916 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6917 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6918 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6920 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6921 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6922 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6923 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6924 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6925 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6926 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6927 data structure as the only parameter.
6929 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6932 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6933 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6934 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6935 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6938 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6941 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6942 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6943 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6945 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6946 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6947 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6948 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6952 Remove articles when they are read.
6955 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6958 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6960 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6961 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6962 @c from the next group.
6965 @node Article Caching
6966 @section Article Caching
6967 @cindex article caching
6970 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6971 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6972 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6973 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6974 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6976 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6978 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6979 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6980 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6981 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6982 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6983 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6984 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6985 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6987 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6988 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6989 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6990 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6991 as dormant, and don't worry.
6993 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6995 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6996 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6997 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6998 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6999 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7000 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7001 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7002 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7003 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7004 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7006 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7007 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7008 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7009 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7010 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7011 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7012 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7013 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7014 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7015 not then be downloaded by this command.
7017 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7018 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7019 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7020 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7021 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7022 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7024 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7025 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7026 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7027 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7028 variables, the group is not cached.
7030 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7031 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7032 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7033 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7034 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7035 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7036 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7037 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7038 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7041 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7042 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7043 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7044 where, isn't that cool?
7046 @node Persistent Articles
7047 @section Persistent Articles
7048 @cindex persistent articles
7050 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7051 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7052 useful in my opinion.
7054 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7055 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7056 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7057 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7058 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7059 the expiry going on at the news server.
7061 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7062 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7063 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7069 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7070 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7073 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7074 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7075 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7076 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7080 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7082 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7083 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7084 interested in persistent articles:
7087 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7091 @node Article Backlog
7092 @section Article Backlog
7094 @cindex article backlog
7096 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7097 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7098 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7099 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7100 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7101 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7102 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7103 increase memory usage some.
7105 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7106 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7107 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7108 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7109 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7110 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7111 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7113 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7116 @node Saving Articles
7117 @section Saving Articles
7118 @cindex saving articles
7120 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7121 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7122 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7123 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7124 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7126 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7127 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7128 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7130 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7131 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7132 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7134 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7135 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7136 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7137 deleted before saving.
7143 @kindex O o (Summary)
7145 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7146 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7147 Save the current article using the default article saver
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7151 @kindex O m (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7153 Save the current article in mail format
7154 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7157 @kindex O r (Summary)
7158 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7159 Save the current article in rmail format
7160 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7163 @kindex O f (Summary)
7164 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7165 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7166 Save the current article in plain file format
7167 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7170 @kindex O F (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7172 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7173 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7176 @kindex O b (Summary)
7177 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7178 Save the current article body in plain file format
7179 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7182 @kindex O h (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7184 Save the current article in mh folder format
7185 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7188 @kindex O v (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7190 Save the current article in a VM folder
7191 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7195 @kindex O p (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7198 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7199 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7200 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7201 complete headers in the piped output.
7204 @kindex O P (Summary)
7205 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7206 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7207 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7208 external program Muttprint (see
7209 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7210 options to use is controlled by the variable
7211 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7215 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7216 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7217 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7218 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7219 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7220 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7221 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7222 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7223 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7224 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7225 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7226 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7230 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7231 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7232 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7233 functions below, or you can create your own.
7237 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7238 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7239 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7240 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7241 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7242 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7243 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7245 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7246 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7247 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7248 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7249 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7250 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7252 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7253 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7254 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7255 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7256 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7257 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7258 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7260 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7261 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7262 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7263 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7264 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7265 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7267 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7268 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7269 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7270 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7271 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7273 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7274 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7275 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7276 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7277 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7280 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7281 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7282 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7283 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7284 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7286 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7287 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7288 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7289 reader to use this setting.
7292 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7293 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7294 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7295 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7298 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7299 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7300 available functions that generate names:
7304 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7305 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7306 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7308 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7309 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7310 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7312 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7313 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7314 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7316 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7317 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7318 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7320 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7321 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7322 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7325 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7326 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7327 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7328 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7329 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7333 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7334 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7335 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7336 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7339 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7340 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7341 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7342 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7343 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7344 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7345 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7346 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7347 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7349 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7350 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7351 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7352 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7354 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7355 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7356 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7359 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7360 lots of mail groups called things like
7361 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7362 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7363 following will do just that:
7366 (defun my-save-name (group)
7367 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7368 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7370 (setq gnus-split-methods
7371 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7376 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7377 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7378 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7379 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7380 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7381 all the files in the top level directory
7382 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7383 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7384 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7385 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7387 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7388 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7389 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7390 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7391 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7394 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7398 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7399 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7400 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7403 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7404 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7405 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7406 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7409 @node Decoding Articles
7410 @section Decoding Articles
7411 @cindex decoding articles
7413 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7414 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7417 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7418 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7419 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7420 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7421 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7422 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7426 @cindex article series
7427 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7428 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7429 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7430 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7431 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7433 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7434 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7435 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7437 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7438 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7439 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7441 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7442 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7443 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7446 @node Uuencoded Articles
7447 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7449 @cindex uuencoded articles
7454 @kindex X u (Summary)
7455 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7456 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7457 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7460 @kindex X U (Summary)
7461 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7462 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7463 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7466 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7468 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7471 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7473 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7474 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7478 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7479 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7480 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7481 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7482 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7484 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7485 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7486 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7487 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7490 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7491 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7492 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7493 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7494 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7495 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7499 @node Shell Archives
7500 @subsection Shell Archives
7502 @cindex shell archives
7503 @cindex shared articles
7505 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7506 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7507 some commands to deal with these:
7512 @kindex X s (Summary)
7513 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7514 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7517 @kindex X S (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7519 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7522 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7523 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7524 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7527 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7528 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7529 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7530 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7534 @node PostScript Files
7535 @subsection PostScript Files
7541 @kindex X p (Summary)
7542 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7543 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7546 @kindex X P (Summary)
7547 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7548 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7549 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7552 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7553 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7554 View the current PostScript series
7555 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7558 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7559 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7560 View and save the current PostScript series
7561 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7566 @subsection Other Files
7570 @kindex X o (Summary)
7571 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7572 Save the current series
7573 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7576 @kindex X b (Summary)
7577 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7578 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7579 doesn't really work yet.
7583 @node Decoding Variables
7584 @subsection Decoding Variables
7586 Adjective, not verb.
7589 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7590 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7591 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7595 @node Rule Variables
7596 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7597 @cindex rule variables
7599 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7600 variables are of the form
7603 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7610 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7611 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7613 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7614 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7617 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7618 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7621 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7622 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7623 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7624 user and default view rules.
7626 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7627 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7628 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7633 @node Other Decode Variables
7634 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7637 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7639 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7640 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7641 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7642 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7643 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7647 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7648 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7651 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7652 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7653 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7656 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7657 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7658 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7659 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7660 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7663 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7664 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7665 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7667 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7668 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7669 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7670 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7671 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7674 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7675 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7676 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7678 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7679 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7680 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7681 looking for files to display.
7683 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7684 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7685 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7688 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7689 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7690 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7693 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7694 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7695 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7698 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7699 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7700 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7703 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7705 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7706 decoded articles as unread.
7708 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7709 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7710 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7711 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7713 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7714 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7715 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7717 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7718 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7720 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7721 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7722 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7723 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7725 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7726 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7727 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7728 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7729 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7730 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7731 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7732 simply dropped them.
7737 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7738 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7742 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7743 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7744 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7745 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7746 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7747 for you when you post the article.
7749 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7750 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7751 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7752 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7754 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7755 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7756 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7757 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7758 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7759 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7760 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7762 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7763 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7764 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7765 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7766 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7767 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7768 Default is @code{t}.
7774 @subsection Viewing Files
7775 @cindex viewing files
7776 @cindex pseudo-articles
7778 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7779 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7780 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7781 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7782 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7783 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7784 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7786 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7787 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7788 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7789 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7791 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7792 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7793 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7795 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7796 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7797 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7798 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7799 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7801 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7802 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7803 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7804 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7805 a list of parameters to that command.
7807 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7808 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7809 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7811 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7812 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7813 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7816 @node Article Treatment
7817 @section Article Treatment
7819 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7820 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7821 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7822 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7823 these articles easier.
7826 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7827 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7828 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7829 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7830 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7831 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7832 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7833 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7834 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7835 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7839 @node Article Highlighting
7840 @subsection Article Highlighting
7841 @cindex highlighting
7843 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7844 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7849 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7851 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7852 Do much highlighting of the current article
7853 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7854 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7857 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7858 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7859 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7860 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7861 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7862 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7863 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7864 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7865 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7866 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7867 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7868 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7871 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7872 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7873 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7875 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7878 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7880 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7881 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7882 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7884 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7885 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7886 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7888 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7889 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7890 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7891 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7892 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7893 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7895 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7896 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7897 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7899 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7900 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7901 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7903 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7904 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7905 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7906 that it's a citation.
7908 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7909 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7910 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7912 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7913 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7914 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7916 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7917 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7918 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7919 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7925 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7926 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7927 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7928 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7929 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7930 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7931 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7932 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7937 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7940 @node Article Fontisizing
7941 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7943 @cindex article emphasis
7945 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7946 @kindex W e (Summary)
7947 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7948 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7949 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7950 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7952 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7953 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7954 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7955 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7956 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7957 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7958 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7959 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7963 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7964 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7965 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7974 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7975 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7976 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7977 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7978 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7979 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7980 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7981 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7982 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7983 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7984 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7985 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7986 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7988 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7989 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7990 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7994 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7997 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7999 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8000 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8001 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8002 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8004 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8007 @node Article Hiding
8008 @subsection Article Hiding
8009 @cindex article hiding
8011 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8012 too much cruft in most articles.
8017 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8018 @findex gnus-article-hide
8019 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8020 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8021 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8024 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8026 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8030 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8032 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8033 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8036 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8038 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8042 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8043 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8044 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8045 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8046 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8047 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8048 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8049 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8053 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8054 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8055 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8056 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8061 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8062 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8063 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8064 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8065 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8066 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8067 articles that have signatures in them do:
8069 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8071 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8073 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8074 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8076 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8079 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8084 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8085 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8086 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8087 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8090 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8092 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8093 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8096 @cindex stripping advertisements
8097 @cindex advertisements
8098 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8099 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8100 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8101 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8102 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8103 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8104 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8105 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8106 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8107 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8110 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8111 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8112 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8116 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8117 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8118 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8119 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8120 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8121 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8122 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8123 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8124 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8125 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8126 following element to remove them:
8129 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8135 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8137 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8138 customizing the hiding:
8142 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8143 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8144 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8145 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8146 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8147 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8148 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8153 Starting point of the hidden text.
8155 Ending point of the hidden text.
8157 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8159 Number of lines of hidden text.
8162 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8163 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8164 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8165 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8166 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8171 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8172 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8174 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8175 following two variables:
8178 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8179 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8180 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8181 50), hide the cited text.
8183 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8184 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8185 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8190 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8191 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8192 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8193 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8194 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8195 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8199 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8200 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8201 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8203 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8204 citation customization.
8206 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8210 @node Article Washing
8211 @subsection Article Washing
8213 @cindex article washing
8215 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8216 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8218 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8219 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8222 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8223 articles by default.
8228 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8229 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8233 @kindex W l (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8235 Remove page breaks from the current article
8236 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8240 @kindex W r (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8242 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8243 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8244 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8245 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8246 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8248 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8249 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8250 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8251 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8254 @kindex W m (Summary)
8255 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8256 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8257 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8261 @kindex W t (Summary)
8263 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8264 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8265 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8268 @kindex W v (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8270 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8271 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8274 @kindex W m (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8276 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8277 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8280 @kindex W o (Summary)
8281 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8282 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8285 @kindex W d (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8287 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8289 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8291 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8292 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8293 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8294 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8297 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8298 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8299 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8300 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8303 @kindex W k (Summary)
8304 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8306 @cindex Outlook Express
8307 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles.
8308 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8311 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8312 @findex gnus-outlook-unwrap-lines
8313 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8314 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8315 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8316 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8317 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8318 (@code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8321 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-outlook-repair-attribution
8323 Repair a broken attribution line
8324 (@code{gnus-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8327 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8328 @findex gnus-outlook-rearrange-citation
8329 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8330 (@code{gnus-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8333 @kindex W w (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8335 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8337 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8341 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8342 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8343 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8346 @kindex W C (Summary)
8347 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8348 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8349 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8352 @kindex W c (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8354 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8355 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8356 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8357 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8360 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8361 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8362 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8363 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8364 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8365 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8366 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8368 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8371 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8372 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8373 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8374 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8375 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8378 @kindex W u (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8380 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8381 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8382 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8383 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8386 @kindex W h (Summary)
8387 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8388 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8389 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8390 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8392 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8394 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8395 The default is to use the function specified by
8396 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8397 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8398 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8399 you can use include:
8406 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8410 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8413 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8416 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8421 @kindex W b (Summary)
8422 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8423 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8424 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8427 @kindex W B (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8429 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8430 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8433 @kindex W p (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8435 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8436 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8437 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8438 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8439 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8440 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8443 @kindex W s (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8445 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8446 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8449 @kindex W a (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8451 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8452 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8455 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8456 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8457 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8458 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8461 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8462 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8463 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8464 lines with a single empty line.
8465 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8468 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8469 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8470 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8471 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8474 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8475 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8476 Do all the three commands above
8477 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8480 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8481 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8482 Remove all blank lines
8483 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8486 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8488 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8489 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8492 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8494 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8495 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8499 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8502 @node Article Header
8503 @subsection Article Header
8505 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8510 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8512 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8515 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8517 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8518 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8521 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8523 Fold all the message headers
8524 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8528 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8529 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8530 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8535 @node Article Buttons
8536 @subsection Article Buttons
8539 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8540 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8541 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8542 button on these references.
8544 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8545 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8546 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8547 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8548 one that handles article heads:
8552 @item gnus-button-alist
8553 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8554 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8557 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8563 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8564 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8565 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8566 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8567 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8570 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8571 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8572 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8575 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8576 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8577 avoid false matches.
8580 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8583 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8584 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8588 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8591 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8594 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8595 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8596 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8597 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8598 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8601 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8604 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8606 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8607 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8608 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8609 default values of the variables above.
8611 @item gnus-article-button-face
8612 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8613 Face used on buttons.
8615 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8616 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8617 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8621 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8625 @subsection Article Date
8627 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8628 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8629 when the article was sent.
8634 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8635 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8636 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8637 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8640 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8641 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8643 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8644 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8647 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8648 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8649 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8652 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8654 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8655 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8658 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8659 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8660 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8661 @findex format-time-string
8662 Display the date using a user-defined format
8663 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8664 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8665 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8666 for a list of possible format specs.
8669 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8671 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8672 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8673 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8674 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8677 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8680 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8681 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8684 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8685 into wonderful absurdities.
8687 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8690 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8693 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8694 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8698 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8699 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8700 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8701 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8702 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8703 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8704 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8708 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8709 preferred format automatically.
8712 @node Article Display
8713 @subsection Article Display
8718 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8719 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8721 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8722 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8724 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8725 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8727 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8728 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8730 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8735 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8736 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8737 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8738 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8741 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8742 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8743 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8746 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8747 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8748 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8751 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8752 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8753 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8754 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8757 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8758 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8759 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8760 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8763 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8764 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8765 Remove all images from the article buffer
8766 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8772 @node Article Signature
8773 @subsection Article Signature
8775 @cindex article signature
8777 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8778 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8779 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8780 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8781 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8782 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8783 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8784 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8785 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8788 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8789 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8790 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8791 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8792 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8793 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8794 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8795 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8798 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8801 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8802 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8803 signature when displaying articles.
8807 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8810 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8813 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8814 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8816 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8817 in question is not a signature.
8820 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8821 listed above. Here's an example:
8824 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8825 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8828 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8829 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8830 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8831 signature after all.
8834 @node Article Miscellania
8835 @subsection Article Miscellania
8839 @kindex A t (Summary)
8840 @findex gnus-article-babel
8841 Translate the article from one language to another
8842 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8848 @section MIME Commands
8849 @cindex MIME decoding
8851 @cindex viewing attachments
8853 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8854 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8860 @kindex K v (Summary)
8861 View the @sc{mime} part.
8864 @kindex K o (Summary)
8865 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8868 @kindex K c (Summary)
8869 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8872 @kindex K e (Summary)
8873 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8876 @kindex K i (Summary)
8877 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8880 @kindex K | (Summary)
8881 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8884 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8889 @kindex K b (Summary)
8890 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8891 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8895 @kindex K m (Summary)
8896 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8897 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8898 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8899 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8900 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8903 @kindex X m (Summary)
8904 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8905 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8906 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8907 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8910 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8911 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8912 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8913 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8916 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8917 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8918 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8919 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8922 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8923 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8924 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8925 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8927 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8928 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8929 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8930 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8931 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8932 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8935 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8936 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8937 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8938 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8945 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8946 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8947 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8948 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8951 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8954 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8958 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
8959 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
8960 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
8961 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
8962 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
8963 default is @code{nil}.
8965 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
8966 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
8967 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
8968 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
8969 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
8970 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
8971 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
8973 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8974 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8975 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8976 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8977 displayed or this variable is overridden by
8978 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8979 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
8980 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
8982 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8983 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8984 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8985 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8986 displayed. This variable overrides
8987 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8988 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
8991 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8992 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8993 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8995 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8996 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8997 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8998 value is @code{nil}.
9000 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9001 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9002 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9003 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9004 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9005 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9006 save all jpegs into some directory).
9008 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9011 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9012 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9014 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9015 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9016 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9017 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9018 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9021 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9022 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9023 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9025 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9026 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9027 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9028 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9030 Ready-made functions include@*
9031 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9032 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9033 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9034 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9035 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9036 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9037 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9038 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9039 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9040 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9041 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9042 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9044 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9045 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9047 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9048 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9049 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9052 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9053 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9054 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9055 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9059 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9068 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9069 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9070 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9071 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9072 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9073 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9074 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9076 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9077 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9078 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9079 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9081 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9082 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9083 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9084 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9085 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9086 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9087 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9088 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9090 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9091 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9092 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9093 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9094 quoted-printable header encoding.
9096 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9097 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9098 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9102 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9105 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9106 means encode all charsets),
9108 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9109 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9110 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9117 @cindex coding system aliases
9118 @cindex preferred charset
9120 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9122 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9123 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9126 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9127 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9130 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9131 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9133 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9136 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9139 This will almost do the right thing.
9141 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9145 (codepage-setup 1251)
9146 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9150 @node Article Commands
9151 @section Article Commands
9158 @kindex A P (Summary)
9159 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9160 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9161 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9162 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9163 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9164 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9169 @node Summary Sorting
9170 @section Summary Sorting
9171 @cindex summary sorting
9173 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9174 can't really see why you'd want that.
9179 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9180 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9181 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9184 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9185 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9186 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9189 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9190 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9191 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9194 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9195 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9196 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9199 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9200 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9201 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9204 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9205 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9206 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9209 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9210 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9211 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9214 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9215 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9216 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9219 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9221 Sort using the default sorting method
9222 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9225 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9226 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9227 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9228 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9229 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9233 @node Finding the Parent
9234 @section Finding the Parent
9235 @cindex parent articles
9236 @cindex referring articles
9241 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9242 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9243 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9244 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9245 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9246 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9247 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9248 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9249 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9251 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9252 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9253 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9254 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9255 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9259 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9260 @kindex A R (Summary)
9261 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9262 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9265 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9266 @kindex A T (Summary)
9267 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9268 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9269 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9270 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9271 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9272 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9273 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9275 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9276 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9277 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9278 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9279 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9280 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9283 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9284 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9286 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9287 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9288 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9289 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9290 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9291 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9292 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9295 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9296 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9297 by giving this command a prefix.
9299 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9300 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9301 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9302 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9303 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9304 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9307 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9308 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9309 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9312 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9313 then ask Google if that fails:
9316 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9318 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9321 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9322 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9323 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9324 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9325 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9326 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9327 support this at all.
9330 @node Alternative Approaches
9331 @section Alternative Approaches
9333 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9334 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9337 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9338 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9343 @subsection Pick and Read
9344 @cindex pick and read
9346 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9347 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9348 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9349 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9351 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9352 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9353 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9354 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9355 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9356 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9358 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9363 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9364 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9365 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9366 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9367 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9368 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9369 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9370 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9373 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9374 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9375 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9376 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9380 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9381 Unpick the thread or article
9382 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9383 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9384 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9385 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9386 the thread or article at that line.
9390 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9391 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9392 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9393 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9394 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9395 will still be visible when you are reading.
9399 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9400 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9401 which is mapped to the same function
9402 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9404 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9407 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9410 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9411 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9413 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9414 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9415 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9417 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9418 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9419 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9420 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9421 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9422 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9423 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9427 @subsection Binary Groups
9428 @cindex binary groups
9430 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9431 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9432 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9433 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9434 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9435 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9436 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9439 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9440 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9441 command, when you have turned on this mode
9442 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9444 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9445 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9449 @section Tree Display
9452 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9453 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9454 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9455 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9458 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9461 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9462 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9463 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9465 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9466 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9467 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9468 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9469 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9471 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9472 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9473 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9474 default is @code{modeline}.
9476 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9477 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9478 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9479 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9480 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9481 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9482 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9488 The name of the poster.
9490 The @code{From} header.
9492 The number of the article.
9494 The opening bracket.
9496 The closing bracket.
9501 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9503 Variables related to the display are:
9506 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9507 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9508 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9509 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9510 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9511 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9513 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9514 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9515 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9516 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9520 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9521 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9522 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9523 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9524 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9525 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9526 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9527 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9528 other windows displayed next to it.
9530 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9534 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9535 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9538 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9539 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9540 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9541 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9542 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9543 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9544 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9548 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9551 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9561 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9565 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9566 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9568 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9570 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9575 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9576 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9577 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9580 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9581 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9582 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9583 (gnus-add-configuration
9587 (summary 0.75 point)
9592 @xref{Window Layout}.
9595 @node Mail Group Commands
9596 @section Mail Group Commands
9597 @cindex mail group commands
9599 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9600 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9602 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9603 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9608 @kindex B e (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9610 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9611 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9612 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9613 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9616 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9617 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9618 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9619 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9620 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9621 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9624 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9625 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9626 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9627 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9628 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9629 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9632 @kindex B m (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9635 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9636 Move the article from one mail group to another
9637 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9638 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9641 @kindex B c (Summary)
9643 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9644 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9645 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9646 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9647 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9650 @kindex B B (Summary)
9651 @cindex crosspost mail
9652 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9653 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9654 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9655 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9656 be properly updated.
9659 @kindex B i (Summary)
9660 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9661 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9662 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9663 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9666 @kindex B I (Summary)
9667 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9668 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9669 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9670 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9673 @kindex B r (Summary)
9674 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9675 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9676 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9677 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9678 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9679 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9680 (which is the default).
9684 @kindex B w (Summary)
9686 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9687 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9688 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9689 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9690 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9691 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9692 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9695 @kindex B q (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9697 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9698 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9699 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9702 @kindex B t (Summary)
9703 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9704 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9705 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9708 @kindex B p (Summary)
9709 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9710 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9711 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9712 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9713 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9714 article from your news server (or rather, from
9715 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9716 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9717 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9718 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9719 just not have arrived yet.
9722 @kindex K E (Summary)
9723 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9724 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9725 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9726 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9727 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9731 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9732 @cindex moving articles
9733 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9734 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9735 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9736 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9737 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9738 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9739 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9742 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9743 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9744 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9745 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9749 @node Various Summary Stuff
9750 @section Various Summary Stuff
9753 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9754 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9755 * Summary Generation Commands::
9756 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9760 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9761 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9762 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9764 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9765 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9766 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9767 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9768 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9769 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9772 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9773 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9774 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9775 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9776 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9778 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9779 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9780 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9783 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9784 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9785 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9786 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9787 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9788 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9789 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9790 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9791 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9792 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9794 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9795 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9796 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9797 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9798 list of articles to be selected.
9800 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9801 the list in one particular group:
9804 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9805 (if (string= group "some.group")
9806 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9810 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9811 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9812 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9813 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9814 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9815 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9816 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9817 buffers. For example:
9820 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9821 '(message-use-followup-to
9822 (gnus-visible-headers .
9823 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9829 @node Summary Group Information
9830 @subsection Summary Group Information
9835 @kindex H f (Summary)
9836 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9837 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9838 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9839 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9840 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9841 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9842 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9843 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9844 be used for fetching the file.
9847 @kindex H d (Summary)
9848 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9849 Give a brief description of the current group
9850 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9851 rereading the description from the server.
9854 @kindex H h (Summary)
9855 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9856 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9857 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9860 @kindex H i (Summary)
9861 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9862 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9866 @node Searching for Articles
9867 @subsection Searching for Articles
9872 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9873 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9874 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9875 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9878 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9879 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9880 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9881 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9885 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9886 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9887 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9888 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9889 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9890 search backward instead.
9892 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9893 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9896 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9897 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9898 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9899 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9902 @node Summary Generation Commands
9903 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9908 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9909 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9910 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9913 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9914 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9915 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9916 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9919 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9920 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9921 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9922 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
9927 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9928 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9934 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9935 @kindex A D (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9937 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9938 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9939 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9940 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9941 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9942 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9943 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9947 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9948 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9949 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9950 several documents into one biiig group
9951 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9952 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9953 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9954 command understands the process/prefix convention
9955 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9958 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9959 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9960 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9961 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9962 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9963 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9967 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9968 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9969 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9972 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9973 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9974 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9975 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9978 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9979 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9980 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9981 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9986 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9987 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9988 @cindex summary exit
9989 @cindex exiting groups
9991 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9992 group and return you to the group buffer.
9998 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10000 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10001 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10002 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10003 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10004 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10005 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10006 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10007 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10008 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10009 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10010 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10014 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10015 @kindex Q (Summary)
10016 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10017 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10018 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10022 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10023 @kindex c (Summary)
10024 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10025 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10026 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10027 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10030 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10031 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10032 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10033 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10036 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10037 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10038 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10039 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10042 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10043 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10044 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10045 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10046 all articles, both read and unread.
10050 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10051 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10052 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10053 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10054 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10055 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10056 articles, both read and unread.
10059 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10060 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10061 Exit the group and go to the next group
10062 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10065 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10066 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10067 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10068 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10071 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10072 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10073 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10074 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10075 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10076 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10079 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10080 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10081 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10082 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10084 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10085 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10086 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10087 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10088 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10089 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10090 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10091 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10092 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10093 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10094 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10095 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10097 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10099 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10100 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10101 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10102 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10103 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10104 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10105 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10106 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10107 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10110 @node Crosspost Handling
10111 @section Crosspost Handling
10115 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10116 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10117 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10118 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10119 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10120 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10123 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10124 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10125 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10126 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10127 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10129 @cindex cross-posting
10132 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10133 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10134 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10135 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10136 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10137 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10138 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10139 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10140 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10141 the cross reference mechanism.
10143 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10144 @cindex overview.fmt
10145 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10146 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10147 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10148 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10149 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10150 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10153 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10154 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10155 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10160 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10163 @node Duplicate Suppression
10164 @section Duplicate Suppression
10166 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10167 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10168 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10169 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10174 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10175 is evil and not very common.
10178 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10179 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10182 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10183 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10186 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10189 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10190 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10192 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10193 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10194 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10195 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10196 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10197 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10198 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10201 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10202 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10203 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10204 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10205 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10206 saw the article in.
10209 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10210 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10211 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10213 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10214 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10215 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10216 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10217 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10218 session are suppressed.
10220 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10221 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10222 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10223 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10225 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10226 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10227 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10228 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10231 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10232 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10233 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10234 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10235 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10236 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10237 to you to figure out, I think.
10242 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10243 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10244 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10248 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10249 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10252 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10253 or newer is recommended.
10257 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10258 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10261 @item mm-verify-option
10262 @vindex mm-verify-option
10263 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10264 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10265 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10267 @item mm-decrypt-option
10268 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10269 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10270 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10271 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10276 @section Mailing List
10278 @kindex A M (summary)
10279 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10280 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10281 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10282 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10283 summary buffer, or say:
10286 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10289 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10294 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10295 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10296 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10299 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10300 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10301 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10304 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10305 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10306 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10310 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10311 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10312 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10315 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10316 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10317 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10320 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10321 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10322 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10326 @node Article Buffer
10327 @chapter Article Buffer
10328 @cindex article buffer
10330 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10331 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10332 tell gnus otherwise.
10335 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10336 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10337 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10338 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10339 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10343 @node Hiding Headers
10344 @section Hiding Headers
10345 @cindex hiding headers
10346 @cindex deleting headers
10348 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10349 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10351 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10352 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10353 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10354 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10355 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10356 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10357 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10358 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10359 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10361 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10365 @item gnus-visible-headers
10366 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10367 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10368 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10369 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10371 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10372 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10375 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10378 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10381 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10382 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10383 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10384 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10385 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10386 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10388 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10389 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10392 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10395 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10398 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10399 variable will have no effect.
10403 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10404 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10405 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10406 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10407 the headers are to be displayed.
10409 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10410 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10413 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10416 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10417 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10419 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10420 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10421 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10422 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10423 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10424 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10425 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10428 These conditions are:
10431 Remove all empty headers.
10433 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10434 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10436 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10437 @code{From} header.
10439 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10442 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10443 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10445 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10448 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10450 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10453 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10456 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10457 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10460 This is also the default value for this variable.
10464 @section Using MIME
10467 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10468 while people stand around yawning.
10470 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10471 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10473 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10474 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10475 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10477 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10478 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10479 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10480 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10481 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10482 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10483 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10484 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10485 not existed yet, sorry).
10487 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10488 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10489 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10490 These can't be avoided.
10492 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10493 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10494 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10495 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10496 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10497 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10498 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10499 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10500 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10503 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10505 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10506 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10507 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10508 buffer when there are nobody else.
10510 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10513 @node Customizing Articles
10514 @section Customizing Articles
10515 @cindex article customization
10517 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10518 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10519 called automatically when you select the articles.
10521 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10522 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10523 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10524 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10526 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10527 for sensible values.
10531 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10534 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10537 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10540 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10543 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10547 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10548 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10549 regexps in the list.
10552 A list where the first element is not a string:
10554 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10555 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10556 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10560 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10564 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10569 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10570 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10571 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10572 considered to contain just a single part.
10574 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10575 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10576 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10577 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10578 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10579 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10580 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10582 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10583 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10584 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10585 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10588 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10589 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10591 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10593 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10594 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10595 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10596 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10597 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10598 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10599 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10600 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10601 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10602 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10603 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10604 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10606 @xref{Article Washing}.
10608 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10609 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10610 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10611 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10612 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10613 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10614 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10616 @xref{Article Date}.
10618 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10619 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10620 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10624 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10626 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10628 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10629 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10630 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10634 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10638 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10639 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10640 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10641 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10642 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10643 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10644 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10645 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10647 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10649 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10650 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10651 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10653 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10655 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10656 @item gnus-treat-translate
10657 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10659 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10660 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10661 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10662 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10664 @xref{Article Header}.
10669 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10670 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10671 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10672 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10673 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10677 @node Article Keymap
10678 @section Article Keymap
10680 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10681 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10682 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10683 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10686 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10691 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10692 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10693 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10696 @kindex DEL (Article)
10697 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10698 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10701 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10702 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10703 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10704 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10705 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10708 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10709 @findex gnus-article-mail
10710 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10711 given a prefix, include the mail.
10714 @kindex s (Article)
10715 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10716 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10717 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10720 @kindex ? (Article)
10721 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10722 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10723 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10726 @kindex TAB (Article)
10727 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10728 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10729 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10732 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10733 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10734 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10737 @kindex R (Article)
10738 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10739 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10740 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10741 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10745 @kindex F (Article)
10746 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10747 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10748 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10749 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10757 @section Misc Article
10761 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10762 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10763 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10764 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10767 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10768 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10770 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10771 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10773 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10774 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10775 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10776 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10777 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10778 the contents of the article buffer.
10780 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10781 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10782 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10784 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10785 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10786 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10787 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10789 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10790 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10791 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10792 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10793 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10799 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10800 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10801 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10806 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10809 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10812 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10813 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10814 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10817 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10820 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10823 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10828 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10832 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10834 @item gnus-break-pages
10835 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10836 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10837 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10838 paging will not be done.
10840 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10841 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10842 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10847 @node Composing Messages
10848 @chapter Composing Messages
10849 @cindex composing messages
10852 @cindex sending mail
10857 @cindex using s/mime
10858 @cindex using smime
10860 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10861 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10862 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10863 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10864 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10865 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10868 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10869 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10870 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10871 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10872 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10873 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10874 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10875 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10878 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10879 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10885 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10888 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10889 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10890 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10891 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10892 @code{nil} include all headers.
10894 @item gnus-add-to-list
10895 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10896 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10897 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10899 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10900 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10901 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10902 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10903 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10908 @node Posting Server
10909 @section Posting Server
10911 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10912 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10914 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10916 It can be quite complicated.
10918 @vindex gnus-post-method
10919 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10920 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10921 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10922 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10923 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10924 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10925 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10926 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10927 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10930 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10933 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10934 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10935 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10936 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10938 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10939 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10941 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10942 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10945 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10946 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10948 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10949 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10950 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10951 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10952 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10953 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10954 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10955 package correctly. An example:
10958 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10959 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10962 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10963 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
10964 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
10966 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10967 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10968 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10970 @node Mail and Post
10971 @section Mail and Post
10973 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10977 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10978 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10979 @cindex mailing lists
10981 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10982 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10983 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10984 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10985 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10986 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10987 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10988 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10989 still a pain, though.
10993 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10994 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10995 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10998 @findex ispell-message
11000 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11003 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11004 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11007 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11011 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11012 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11014 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11017 Modify to suit your needs.
11020 @node Archived Messages
11021 @section Archived Messages
11022 @cindex archived messages
11023 @cindex sent messages
11025 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11026 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11027 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11028 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11031 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11032 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11035 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11036 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11037 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11040 (nnfolder "archive"
11041 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11042 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11043 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11044 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11047 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11048 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11049 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11050 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11053 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11054 '(nnfolder "archive"
11055 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11056 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11057 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11060 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11062 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11063 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11064 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11066 This variable can be used to do the following:
11071 Messages will be saved in that group.
11073 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11074 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11075 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11076 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11077 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11078 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11079 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11080 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11084 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11086 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11087 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11090 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11095 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11097 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11100 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11102 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11105 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11107 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11108 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11109 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11110 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11113 More complex stuff:
11115 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11116 '((if (message-news-p)
11121 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11122 messages in one file per month:
11125 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11126 '((if (message-news-p)
11128 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11131 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11132 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11134 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11135 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11136 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11137 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11138 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11139 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11140 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11141 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11142 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11143 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11145 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11146 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11147 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11148 this will disable archiving.
11151 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11152 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11153 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11154 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11155 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11158 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11159 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11160 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11163 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11164 but the latter is the preferred method.
11166 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11167 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11168 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11170 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11171 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11172 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11173 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11174 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11175 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11176 changed in the future.
11181 @node Posting Styles
11182 @section Posting Styles
11183 @cindex posting styles
11186 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11188 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11189 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11190 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11193 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11194 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11195 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11196 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11197 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11202 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11203 (organization "What me?"))
11205 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11206 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11207 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11210 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11211 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11212 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11213 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11214 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11215 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11216 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11217 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11219 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11220 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11221 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11222 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11223 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11224 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11225 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11226 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11227 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11228 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11229 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11232 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11233 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11234 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11235 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11236 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11237 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11238 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11239 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11240 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11241 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11244 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11245 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11246 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11247 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11248 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11249 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11250 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11251 references chars lines xref extra.
11253 @vindex message-reply-headers
11255 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11256 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11257 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11259 @findex message-mail-p
11260 @findex message-news-p
11262 So here's a new example:
11265 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11267 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11269 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11270 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11272 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11273 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11274 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11275 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11276 (signature my-news-signature))
11277 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11278 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11279 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11280 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11281 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11282 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11283 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11284 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11285 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11286 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11288 (From (save-excursion
11289 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11290 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11292 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11295 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11296 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11297 if you fill many roles.
11299 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11300 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11301 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11302 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11303 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11304 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11305 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11306 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11311 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11313 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11315 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11316 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11319 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11322 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11323 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11330 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11331 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11332 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11333 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11334 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11336 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11337 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11338 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11339 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11340 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11344 @vindex nndraft-directory
11345 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11346 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11347 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11348 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11349 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11350 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11352 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11353 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11356 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11357 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11358 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11359 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11360 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11361 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11362 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11363 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11364 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11365 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11366 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11367 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11368 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11369 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11371 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11372 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11373 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11375 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11376 @kindex D e (Draft)
11377 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11378 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11379 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11381 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11384 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11385 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11386 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11387 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11388 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11389 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11390 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11393 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11394 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11395 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11398 @node Rejected Articles
11399 @section Rejected Articles
11400 @cindex rejected articles
11402 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11403 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11404 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11405 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11407 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11408 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11409 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11410 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11411 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11413 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11414 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11415 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11417 @node Signing and encrypting
11418 @section Signing and encrypting
11420 @cindex using s/mime
11421 @cindex using smime
11423 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11424 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11425 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11426 (@pxref{Security}).
11428 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11429 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11430 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11432 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11433 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11434 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11435 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11436 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11437 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11438 automatically encrypted messages.
11440 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11441 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11442 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11447 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11448 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11450 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11453 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11454 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11456 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11459 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11460 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11462 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11465 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11466 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11468 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11471 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11472 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11474 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11477 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11478 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11480 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11483 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11484 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11485 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11489 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11491 @node Select Methods
11492 @chapter Select Methods
11493 @cindex foreign groups
11494 @cindex select methods
11496 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11497 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11498 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11499 personal mail group.
11501 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11502 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11503 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11504 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11505 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11506 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11508 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11509 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11511 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11514 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11515 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11516 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11517 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11518 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11520 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11523 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11524 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11525 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11526 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11527 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11528 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11529 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11530 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11534 @node Server Buffer
11535 @section Server Buffer
11537 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11538 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11539 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11540 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11541 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11542 back end represents a virtual server.
11544 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11545 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11546 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11547 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11549 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11550 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11551 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11552 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11553 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11554 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11555 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11557 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11558 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11561 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11562 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11563 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11564 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11565 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11566 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11567 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11570 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11571 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11574 @node Server Buffer Format
11575 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11576 @cindex server buffer format
11578 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11579 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11580 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11581 variable, with some simple extensions:
11586 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11589 The name of this server.
11592 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11595 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11598 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11599 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11600 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11601 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11611 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11614 @node Server Commands
11615 @subsection Server Commands
11616 @cindex server commands
11622 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11623 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11627 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11628 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11631 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11632 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11633 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11637 @findex gnus-server-exit
11638 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11642 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11643 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11647 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11648 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11652 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11653 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11657 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11658 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11662 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11663 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11664 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11669 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11670 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11671 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11672 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11677 @node Example Methods
11678 @subsection Example Methods
11680 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11683 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11686 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11692 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11693 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11696 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11697 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11699 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11700 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11704 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11707 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11708 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11710 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11711 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11712 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11716 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11719 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11722 Here's the method for a public spool:
11726 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11727 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11733 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11734 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11735 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11736 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11737 should probably look something like this:
11741 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11742 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11743 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11744 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11747 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11748 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11749 configuration to the example above:
11752 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11755 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11757 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11758 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11759 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11763 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11764 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11765 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11766 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11769 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11770 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11771 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11772 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11775 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11776 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11778 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11779 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11781 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11782 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11783 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11785 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11787 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11788 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11789 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11790 will contain the following:
11800 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11801 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11802 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11805 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11806 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11807 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11810 @node Server Variables
11811 @subsection Server Variables
11813 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11814 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11815 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11816 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11817 won't change the "derived" variables.
11819 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11820 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11821 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11822 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11823 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11824 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11825 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11826 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11827 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11831 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11832 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11833 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11837 @node Servers and Methods
11838 @subsection Servers and Methods
11840 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11841 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11842 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11843 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11847 @node Unavailable Servers
11848 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11850 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11851 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11852 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11853 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11854 actually the case or not.
11856 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11857 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11858 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11859 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11860 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11861 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11862 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11863 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11865 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11866 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11868 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11869 with the following commands:
11875 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11876 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11877 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11881 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11882 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11883 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11887 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11888 Mark the current server as unreachable
11889 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11892 @kindex M-o (Server)
11893 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11894 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11895 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11898 @kindex M-c (Server)
11899 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11900 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11901 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11905 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11906 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11907 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11911 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11912 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11918 @section Getting News
11919 @cindex reading news
11920 @cindex news back ends
11922 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11923 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11924 or it can read from a local spool.
11927 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11928 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11936 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11937 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11938 server as the, uhm, address.
11940 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11941 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11942 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11943 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11945 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11946 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11947 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11949 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11954 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11955 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11956 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11958 @cindex authentification
11959 @cindex nntp authentification
11960 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11961 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11962 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11963 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11964 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11965 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11966 present in this hook.
11968 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11969 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11970 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11971 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11972 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11973 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11974 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11975 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11976 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11977 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11978 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11979 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11983 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11986 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11988 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11989 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11990 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11991 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11992 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11993 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11994 @samp{force} is explained below.
11998 Here's an example file:
12001 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12002 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12005 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12006 have to be first, for instance.
12008 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12009 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12010 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12011 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12012 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12013 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12014 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12016 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12017 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12023 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12024 previously mentioned.
12026 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12028 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12029 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12030 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12031 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12032 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12035 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12036 '(("innd" (ding))))
12039 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12041 The default value is
12044 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12045 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12046 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12049 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12050 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12052 @item nntp-maximum-request
12053 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12054 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12055 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12056 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12057 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12058 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12059 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12061 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12062 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12063 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12064 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12065 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12066 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12067 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12068 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12069 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12070 no timeouts are done.
12072 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12073 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12074 @c @cindex PPP connections
12075 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12076 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12077 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12078 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12079 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12080 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12081 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12082 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12083 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12084 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12086 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12087 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12088 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12089 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12090 @c described above.
12092 @item nntp-server-hook
12093 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12094 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12097 @item nntp-buggy-select
12098 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12099 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12101 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12102 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12103 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12104 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12107 @item nntp-xover-commands
12108 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12111 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12112 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12116 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12117 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12118 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12119 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12120 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12121 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12122 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12123 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12124 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12125 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12126 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12128 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12129 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12130 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12132 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12133 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12134 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12135 server closes connection.
12137 @item nntp-record-commands
12138 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12139 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12140 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12141 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12142 that doesn't seem to work.
12144 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12145 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12146 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12147 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12148 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12149 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12150 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12151 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12153 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12154 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12155 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12156 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12157 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12158 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12159 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12162 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12165 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12166 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12168 @item nntp-list-options
12169 @vindex nntp-list-options
12170 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12171 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12172 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12173 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12174 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12178 (setq gnus-select-method
12179 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12180 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12183 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12184 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12185 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12186 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12187 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12188 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12189 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12192 (setq gnus-select-method
12193 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12194 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12197 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12198 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12199 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12200 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12201 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12202 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12203 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12206 (setq gnus-select-method
12207 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12208 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12213 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12214 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12215 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12219 @node Direct Functions
12220 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12221 @cindex direct connection functions
12223 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12224 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12225 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12226 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12229 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12230 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12231 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12234 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12235 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12236 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12237 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12238 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12239 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12240 define a server as follows:
12243 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12245 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12246 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12248 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12249 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12250 (nntp-port-number 563)
12251 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12254 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12255 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12256 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12257 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12258 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12259 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12260 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12261 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12265 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12266 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12267 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12270 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12271 session, which is not a good idea.
12275 @node Indirect Functions
12276 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12277 @cindex indirect connection functions
12279 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12280 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12281 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12282 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12283 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12284 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12287 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12288 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12289 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12290 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12291 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12293 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12296 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12297 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12298 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12299 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12301 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12302 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12303 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12304 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12305 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12306 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12307 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12308 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12311 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12312 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12313 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12314 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12316 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12319 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12320 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12321 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12324 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12325 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12326 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12327 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12329 @item nntp-via-user-password
12330 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12331 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12333 @item nntp-via-envuser
12334 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12335 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12336 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12337 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12339 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12340 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12341 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12342 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12349 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12354 @item nntp-via-user-name
12355 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12356 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12358 @item nntp-via-address
12359 @vindex nntp-via-address
12360 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12365 @node Common Variables
12366 @subsubsection Common Variables
12368 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12369 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12374 @item nntp-pre-command
12375 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12376 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12377 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12378 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12379 wrapper for instance.
12382 @vindex nntp-address
12383 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12385 @item nntp-port-number
12386 @vindex nntp-port-number
12387 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12388 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12389 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12390 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12392 @item nntp-end-of-line
12393 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12394 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12395 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12396 using a non native connection function.
12398 @item nntp-telnet-command
12399 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12400 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12401 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12402 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12404 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12405 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12406 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12413 @subsection News Spool
12417 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12418 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12419 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12422 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12423 anything else) as the address.
12425 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12426 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12427 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12428 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12432 @item nnspool-inews-program
12433 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12434 Program used to post an article.
12436 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12437 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12438 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12440 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12441 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12442 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12443 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12445 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12446 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12447 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12448 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12450 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12451 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12452 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12454 @item nnspool-active-file
12455 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12456 The path to the active file.
12458 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12459 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12460 The path to the group descriptions file.
12462 @item nnspool-history-file
12463 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12464 The path to the news history file.
12466 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12467 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12468 The path to the active date file.
12470 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12471 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12472 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12475 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12476 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12478 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12479 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12480 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12486 @section Getting Mail
12487 @cindex reading mail
12490 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12494 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12495 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12496 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12497 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12498 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12499 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12500 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12501 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12502 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12503 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12504 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12505 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12506 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12510 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12511 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12513 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12514 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12515 of a culture shock.
12517 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12518 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12520 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12521 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12522 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12523 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12525 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12527 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12528 deleted? How awful!
12530 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12531 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12532 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12533 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12536 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12537 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12538 they want to treat a message.
12540 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12541 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12542 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12543 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12544 archived somewhere else.
12546 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12547 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12548 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12549 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12550 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12552 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12553 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12554 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12556 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12557 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12560 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12561 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12562 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12563 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12564 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12566 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12567 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12568 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12569 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12570 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12571 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12575 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12576 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12578 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12579 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12580 and things will happen automatically.
12582 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12583 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12586 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12589 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12590 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12591 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12592 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12593 like any other group.
12595 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12598 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12599 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12600 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12604 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12605 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12606 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12609 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12610 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12611 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12614 @node Splitting Mail
12615 @subsection Splitting Mail
12616 @cindex splitting mail
12617 @cindex mail splitting
12619 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12620 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12621 to be split into groups.
12624 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12625 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12626 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12627 ("mail.other" "")))
12630 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12631 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12632 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12633 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12634 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12635 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12636 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12639 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12642 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12643 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12644 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12645 mail belongs in that group.
12647 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12648 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12649 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12650 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12651 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12652 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12654 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12655 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12656 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12657 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12658 thinks should carry this mail message.
12660 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12661 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12662 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12663 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12665 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12666 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12667 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12668 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12669 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12671 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12674 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12675 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12676 links. If that's the case for you, set
12677 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12678 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12680 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12681 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12682 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12683 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12684 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12685 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12688 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12689 Header lines longer than the value of
12690 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12693 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12694 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12695 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12696 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12697 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12698 can be turned off completely by binding
12699 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12700 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12702 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12703 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12704 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12705 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12706 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12707 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12708 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12711 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12712 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12713 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12714 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12715 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12716 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12717 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12718 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12719 month's rent money.
12723 @subsection Mail Sources
12725 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12726 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12730 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12731 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12732 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12736 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12737 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12739 @cindex mail server
12742 @cindex mail source
12744 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12745 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12750 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12753 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12754 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12755 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12758 The following mail source types are available:
12762 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12768 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12769 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12770 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12773 An example file mail source:
12776 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12779 Or using the default path:
12785 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12786 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12787 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12790 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12794 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12797 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12801 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12804 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12806 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12809 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12813 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12814 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12815 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12816 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12817 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12818 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12819 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12820 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12821 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12822 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12824 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12825 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12826 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12827 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12833 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12837 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12841 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12842 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12843 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12844 predicate are considered.
12848 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12852 An example directory mail source:
12855 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12860 Get mail from a POP server.
12866 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12867 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12870 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12871 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12872 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12873 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12874 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12877 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12881 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12885 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12886 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12889 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12892 The valid format specifier characters are:
12896 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12897 included in this string.
12900 The name of the server.
12903 The port number of the server.
12906 The user name to use.
12909 The password to use.
12912 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12913 corresponding keywords.
12916 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12917 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12920 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12921 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12924 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12925 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12928 @item :authentication
12929 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12930 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12934 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12935 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12936 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12937 programs and libraries:
12941 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12942 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12943 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12945 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12946 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12951 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12952 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12956 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12957 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12959 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12960 default user name, and default fetcher:
12966 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12969 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12970 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12973 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12976 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12980 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12981 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12982 contains exactly one mail.
12988 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12989 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12992 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12993 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12995 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12996 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12997 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13000 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13001 from locking problems).
13005 Two example maildir mail sources:
13008 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13009 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13013 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13018 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13019 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13020 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13021 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13024 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
13025 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13031 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13032 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13035 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13036 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13039 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13043 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13047 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13048 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13049 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13050 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13052 @item :authentication
13053 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13054 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13055 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13056 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13059 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13060 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
13061 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13067 The valid format specifier characters are:
13071 The name of the server.
13074 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13077 The port number of the server.
13080 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13081 corresponding keywords.
13084 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13085 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13088 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13089 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13090 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13091 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13092 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13093 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13096 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13097 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13098 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13099 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13102 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13103 after finishing the fetch.
13107 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13110 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13112 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13116 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13117 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13118 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13120 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13121 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13123 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13129 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13130 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13133 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13137 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13141 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13142 folder after finishing the fetch.
13146 An example webmail source:
13149 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13151 :password "secret")
13156 @item Common Keywords
13157 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13163 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13164 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13168 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13173 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13174 useful when you use local mail and news.
13179 @subsubsection Function Interface
13181 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13182 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13183 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13184 consider the following mail-source setting:
13187 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13188 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13191 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13192 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13193 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13194 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13195 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13197 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13200 @node Mail Source Customization
13201 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13203 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13204 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13208 @item mail-source-crash-box
13209 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13210 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13211 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13213 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13214 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13215 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13217 @item mail-source-directory
13218 @vindex mail-source-directory
13219 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13220 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13221 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13224 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13225 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13226 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13227 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13228 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13229 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13231 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13232 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13233 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13235 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13236 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13237 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13238 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13243 @node Fetching Mail
13244 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13246 @vindex mail-sources
13247 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13248 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13249 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13250 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13252 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13253 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13256 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13257 mail server, you'd say something like:
13262 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13263 :password "secret")))
13266 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13270 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13271 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13274 :password "secret")))
13278 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13279 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13280 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13281 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13282 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13283 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13287 @node Mail Back End Variables
13288 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13290 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13294 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13295 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13296 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13297 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13299 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13300 @item nnmail-split-hook
13301 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13302 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13303 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13304 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13305 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13306 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13307 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13308 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13309 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13312 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13313 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13314 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13315 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13316 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13317 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13318 starting to handle the new mail) and
13319 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13320 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13321 default file modes the new mail files get:
13324 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13325 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13327 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13328 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13331 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13332 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13333 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13334 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13335 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13336 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13337 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13339 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13340 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13341 @findex delete-file
13342 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13344 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13345 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13346 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13347 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13348 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13350 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13351 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13352 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13353 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13354 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13356 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13357 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13358 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13363 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13364 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13365 @cindex mail splitting
13366 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13368 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13369 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13370 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13371 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13372 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13373 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13375 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13378 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13379 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13380 ;; from real errors.
13381 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13383 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13384 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13385 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13386 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13387 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13388 ;; Other mailing lists...
13389 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13390 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13391 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13392 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13393 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13394 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13395 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13396 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13398 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13399 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13403 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13404 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13405 the five possible split syntaxes:
13410 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13411 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13415 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13416 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13417 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13418 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13419 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13420 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13421 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13422 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13425 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13426 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13427 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13428 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13431 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13432 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13435 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13436 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13439 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13440 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13441 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13442 function should return a @var{split}.
13445 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13446 body of the messages:
13449 (defun split-on-body ()
13451 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13452 (goto-char (point-min))
13453 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13457 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13458 when the @code{:} function is run.
13461 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13462 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13463 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13467 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13471 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13472 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13473 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13474 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13475 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13477 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13478 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13479 are expanded as specified by the variable
13480 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13481 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13484 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13485 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13486 when all this splitting is performed.
13488 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13489 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13490 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13493 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13496 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13497 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13499 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13500 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13501 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13502 groupings 1 through 9.
13504 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13505 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13506 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13507 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13508 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13509 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13510 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13511 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13512 it once per thread.
13514 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13515 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13516 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13519 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13520 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13522 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13523 ;; other splits go here
13527 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13528 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13529 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13530 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13531 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13532 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13533 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13534 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13535 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13536 unless the group name matches the regexp
13537 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13538 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13539 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13540 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13541 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13542 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13543 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13544 messages goes into the new group.
13546 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13547 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13548 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13549 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13550 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13554 @node Group Mail Splitting
13555 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13556 @cindex mail splitting
13557 @cindex group mail splitting
13559 @findex gnus-group-split
13560 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13561 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13562 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13563 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13564 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13565 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13566 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13567 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13569 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13570 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13571 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13572 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13574 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13575 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13576 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13577 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13578 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13579 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13580 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13582 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13583 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13584 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13585 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13586 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13587 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13588 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13590 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13591 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13592 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13593 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13594 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13595 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13596 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13597 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13598 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13599 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13600 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13601 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13602 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13604 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13609 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13610 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13612 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13613 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13614 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13615 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13617 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13620 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13621 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13622 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13625 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13626 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13627 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13631 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13632 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13633 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13637 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13640 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13641 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13642 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13643 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13644 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13645 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13646 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13647 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13648 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13650 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13651 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13652 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13653 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13654 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13655 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13656 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13657 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13658 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13660 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13661 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13662 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13663 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13664 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13665 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13668 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13671 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13672 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13673 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13674 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13675 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13678 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13679 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13680 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13681 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13683 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13684 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13685 @cindex incorporating old mail
13686 @cindex import old mail
13688 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13689 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13690 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13693 Doing so can be quite easy.
13695 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13696 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13697 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13698 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13699 your @code{nnml} groups.
13705 Go to the group buffer.
13708 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13709 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13712 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13715 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13716 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13719 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13720 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13723 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13724 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13725 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13726 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13727 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13729 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13730 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13731 using the new mail back end.
13734 @node Expiring Mail
13735 @subsection Expiring Mail
13736 @cindex article expiry
13738 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13739 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13740 different approach to mail reading.
13742 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13743 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13744 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13745 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13746 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13747 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13750 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13751 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13752 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13753 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13754 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13755 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13756 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13757 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13758 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13760 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13761 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13762 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13763 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13764 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13765 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13766 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13769 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13770 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13771 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13772 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13773 into its own group.)
13775 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13776 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13777 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13778 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13779 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13780 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13781 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13782 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13785 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13786 Groups that match the regular expression
13787 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13788 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13789 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13791 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13792 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13793 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13794 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13795 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13797 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13799 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13800 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13801 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13804 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13805 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13806 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13807 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13808 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13810 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13811 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13814 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13815 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13818 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13819 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13821 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13822 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13823 don't really mix very well.
13825 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13826 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13827 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13828 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13831 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13832 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13833 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13834 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13837 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13839 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13841 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13843 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13845 ((string= group "important")
13851 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13852 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13854 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13855 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13856 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13859 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13860 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13862 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13863 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13864 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13865 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13866 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13867 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13868 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13869 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13870 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13871 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13872 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13873 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13874 name or @code{delete}.
13876 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13878 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13881 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13882 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13883 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13884 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13885 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13888 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13889 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13890 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13891 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13892 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13895 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13896 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13897 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13898 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13899 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13900 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13902 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13903 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13904 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13905 easier for procmail users.
13907 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13908 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13909 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13910 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13911 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13912 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13913 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13914 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13915 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13916 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13917 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13918 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13919 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13922 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13924 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13925 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13926 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13927 auto-expire turned on.
13931 @subsection Washing Mail
13932 @cindex mail washing
13933 @cindex list server brain damage
13934 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13936 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13937 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13938 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13939 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13940 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13941 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13943 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13944 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13945 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13948 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13949 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13950 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13951 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13954 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13955 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13956 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13957 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13958 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13961 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13962 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13963 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13964 Emacs running on MS machines.
13968 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13969 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13970 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13971 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13974 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13975 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13976 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13977 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13979 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13980 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13981 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13982 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13983 into a feature by documenting it.)
13985 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13986 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13987 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13988 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13989 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13990 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13991 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13994 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13995 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13998 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13999 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14002 This can also be done non-destructively with
14003 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14005 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14006 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14007 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14009 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14010 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14012 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14013 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14014 @code{References} headers.
14018 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14019 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14020 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14024 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14025 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14026 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14033 @subsection Duplicates
14035 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14036 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14037 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14038 @cindex duplicate mails
14039 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14040 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14041 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14042 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14043 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14044 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14045 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14046 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14047 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14048 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14049 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14050 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14051 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14053 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14054 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14055 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14056 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14058 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14061 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14062 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14066 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14067 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14068 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14069 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14070 (any mail "mail.misc")
14077 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14078 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14083 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14084 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14085 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14086 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14087 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14090 @node Not Reading Mail
14091 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14093 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14094 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14095 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14097 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14098 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14099 mail, which should help.
14101 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14102 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14103 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14104 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14105 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14106 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14107 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14108 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14109 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14110 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14111 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14113 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14114 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14118 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14119 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14121 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14122 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14123 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14125 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14126 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14127 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14128 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14129 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14130 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14131 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14134 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14135 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14136 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14137 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14138 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14139 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14143 @node Unix Mail Box
14144 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14146 @cindex unix mail box
14148 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14149 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14150 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14151 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14152 which group it belongs in.
14154 Virtual server settings:
14157 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14158 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14159 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14162 @item nnmbox-active-file
14163 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14164 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14165 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14167 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14168 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14169 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14170 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14175 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14179 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14180 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14181 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14182 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14183 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14185 Virtual server settings:
14188 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14189 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14190 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14192 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14193 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14194 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14195 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14197 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14198 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14199 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14205 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14207 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14209 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14210 format. It should be used with some caution.
14212 @vindex nnml-directory
14213 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14214 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14215 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14216 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14218 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14221 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14222 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14223 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14224 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14225 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14226 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14227 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14228 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14230 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14231 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14232 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14233 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14235 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14237 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14238 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14239 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14240 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14241 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14242 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14243 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14244 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14247 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14248 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14249 them next time it starts.
14251 Virtual server settings:
14254 @item nnml-directory
14255 @vindex nnml-directory
14256 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14257 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14260 @item nnml-active-file
14261 @vindex nnml-active-file
14262 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14263 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14265 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14266 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14267 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14268 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14270 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14271 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14272 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14275 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14276 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14277 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14278 default is @code{nil}.
14280 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14281 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14282 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14284 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14285 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14286 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14288 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14289 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14290 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14291 default is @code{nil}.
14293 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14294 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14295 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14297 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14298 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14299 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14304 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14305 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14306 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14307 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14308 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14309 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14310 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14315 @subsubsection MH Spool
14317 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14319 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14320 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14321 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14322 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14324 Virtual server settings:
14327 @item nnmh-directory
14328 @vindex nnmh-directory
14329 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14330 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14333 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14334 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14335 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14339 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14340 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14341 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14342 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14343 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14344 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14345 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14350 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14352 @cindex mbox folders
14353 @cindex mail folders
14355 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14356 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14357 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14360 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14362 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14363 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14364 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14365 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14366 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14367 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14368 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14369 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14370 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14371 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14373 Virtual server settings:
14376 @item nnfolder-directory
14377 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14378 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14379 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14382 @item nnfolder-active-file
14383 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14384 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14386 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14387 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14388 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14389 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14391 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14392 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14393 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14396 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14397 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14398 @cindex backup files
14399 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14400 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14401 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14402 your @file{.emacs} file:
14405 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14406 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14408 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14411 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14412 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14413 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14414 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14415 extract some information from it before removing it.
14417 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14418 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14419 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14420 default is @code{nil}.
14422 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14423 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14424 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14426 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14427 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14428 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14429 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14431 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14432 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14433 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14434 default is @code{nil}.
14436 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14437 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14438 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14440 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14441 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14442 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14443 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14448 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14449 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14450 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14451 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14452 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14453 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14456 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14457 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14459 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14460 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14461 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14462 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14463 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14465 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14466 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14467 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14468 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14469 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14470 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14471 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14472 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14475 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14476 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14477 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14478 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14483 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14484 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14485 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14486 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14487 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14488 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14489 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14490 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14491 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14492 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14493 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14494 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14495 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14500 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14501 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14502 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14503 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14504 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14505 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14506 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14507 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14508 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14509 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14510 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14511 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14512 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14513 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14515 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14516 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14521 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14522 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14523 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14524 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14525 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14526 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14527 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14528 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14529 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14530 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14531 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14532 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14533 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14534 provided by the active file and overviews.
14536 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14537 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14538 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14539 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14540 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14543 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14544 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14549 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14550 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14551 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14552 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14553 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14554 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14555 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14559 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14560 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14561 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14562 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14563 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14564 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14565 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14566 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14567 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14569 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14570 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14571 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14572 friendly mail back end all over.
14576 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14577 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14578 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14579 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14580 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14581 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14582 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14583 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14586 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14587 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14588 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14589 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14590 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14591 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14592 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14593 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14594 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14595 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14596 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14598 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14599 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14600 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14601 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14602 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14603 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14604 This will probably be changed in the future.
14606 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14607 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14608 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14609 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14610 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14613 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14614 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14616 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14617 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14618 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14619 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14620 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14621 would) to make it use less memory.
14623 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14624 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14625 depending in part on your file system.
14627 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14628 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14633 @node Browsing the Web
14634 @section Browsing the Web
14636 @cindex browsing the web
14640 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14641 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14642 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14643 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14644 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14645 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14646 even know what a news group is.
14648 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14649 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14650 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14651 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14652 you mad in the end.
14654 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14657 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14658 interfaces to these sources.
14662 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14663 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14664 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14665 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14666 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14667 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14670 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14672 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14673 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14674 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14675 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14676 though, you should be ok.
14678 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14679 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14680 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14681 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14682 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14684 @node Archiving Mail
14685 @subsection Archiving Mail
14686 @cindex archiving mail
14687 @cindex backup of mail
14689 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14690 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14691 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14692 marks is fairly simple.
14694 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14695 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14698 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14699 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14700 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14701 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14702 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14703 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14704 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14705 before you restore the data.
14707 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14708 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14709 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14710 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14711 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14712 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14713 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14714 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14715 is unnecessary in that case.
14718 @subsection Web Searches
14723 @cindex Usenet searches
14724 @cindex searching the Usenet
14726 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14727 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14728 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14729 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14730 searches without having to use a browser.
14732 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14733 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14734 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14735 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14736 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14738 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14739 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14740 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14741 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14742 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14743 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14744 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14745 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14746 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14747 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14750 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14751 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14752 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14753 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14754 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14755 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14757 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14758 to use @code{nnweb}.
14760 Virtual server variables:
14765 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14766 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14767 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14770 @vindex nnweb-search
14771 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14773 @item nnweb-max-hits
14774 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14775 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14778 @item nnweb-type-definition
14779 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14780 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14781 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14786 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14790 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14793 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14796 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14800 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14807 @subsection Slashdot
14811 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14812 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14813 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14815 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14816 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14819 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14820 '((nnslashdot "")))
14823 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14824 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14825 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14826 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14827 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14830 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14831 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14833 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14834 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14835 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14836 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14837 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14838 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14841 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14844 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14845 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14846 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14847 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14848 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14849 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14850 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14852 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14853 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14854 The login name to use when posting.
14856 @item nnslashdot-password
14857 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14858 The password to use when posting.
14860 @item nnslashdot-directory
14861 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14862 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14863 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14865 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14866 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14867 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14868 news articles and comments. The default is
14869 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14871 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14872 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14873 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14875 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14877 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14878 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14879 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14881 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14883 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14884 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14885 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14887 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14888 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14889 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14890 updated. The default is 0.
14897 @subsection Ultimate
14899 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14901 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14902 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14903 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14904 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14906 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14907 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14908 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14909 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14910 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14911 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14912 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14914 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14917 @item nnultimate-directory
14918 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14919 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14920 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14925 @subsection Web Archive
14927 @cindex Web Archive
14929 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14930 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14931 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14932 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14935 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14936 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14937 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14938 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14939 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14940 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14941 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14943 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14946 @item nnwarchive-directory
14947 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14948 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14949 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14951 @item nnwarchive-login
14952 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14953 The account name on the web server.
14955 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14956 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14957 The password for your account on the web server.
14965 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14966 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14967 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14970 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14971 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14974 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14977 @item nnrss-directory
14978 @vindex nnrss-directory
14979 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14980 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14984 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14985 the summary buffer.
14988 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14989 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14991 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14993 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14994 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14997 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15000 (require 'browse-url)
15002 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15004 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15007 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15008 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15011 (browse-url (cdr url))
15012 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15013 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15015 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15016 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15017 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15018 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15021 @node Customizing w3
15022 @subsection Customizing w3
15028 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15029 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15030 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15032 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15033 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15034 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15037 (eval-after-load "w3"
15039 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15040 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15041 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15042 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15044 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15047 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15048 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15057 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15058 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15059 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15060 specify the network address of the server.
15062 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15063 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15064 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15065 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15066 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15068 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15069 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15070 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15071 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15073 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15074 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15075 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15076 usage explained in this section.
15078 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15079 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15080 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15083 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15084 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15085 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15087 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15088 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15089 ; a UW server running on localhost
15091 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15092 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15093 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15094 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15095 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15096 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15097 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15098 (nnimap-stream network))
15099 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15101 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15102 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15103 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15106 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15111 @item nnimap-address
15112 @vindex nnimap-address
15114 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15115 server name if not specified.
15117 @item nnimap-server-port
15118 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15119 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15121 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15124 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15125 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15128 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15129 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15130 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15131 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15132 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15133 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15134 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15136 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15137 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15138 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15141 Example server specification:
15144 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15145 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15146 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15149 @item nnimap-stream
15150 @vindex nnimap-stream
15151 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15152 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15153 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15154 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15156 Example server specification:
15159 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15160 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15163 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15167 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15168 @samp{imtest} program.
15170 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15172 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15173 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15176 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15177 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15178 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15180 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15182 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15185 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15186 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15187 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15188 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15189 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15190 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15191 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15192 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15193 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15196 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15197 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15198 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15199 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15200 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15201 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15202 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15203 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15204 distribution, for instance).
15206 @vindex imap-shell-program
15207 @vindex imap-shell-host
15208 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15209 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15211 @item nnimap-authenticator
15212 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15214 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15215 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15217 Example server specification:
15220 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15221 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15224 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15228 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15229 external program @code{imtest}.
15231 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15234 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15235 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15237 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15239 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15241 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15244 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15246 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15247 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15248 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15249 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15250 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15251 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15254 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15255 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15256 running in circles yet?
15258 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15259 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15262 The possible options are:
15267 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15270 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15271 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15272 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15273 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15275 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15280 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15281 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15283 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15284 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15285 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15286 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15287 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15290 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15291 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15294 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15295 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15296 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15297 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15300 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15301 as ticked for other users.
15303 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15305 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15307 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15308 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15309 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15310 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15312 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15313 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15314 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15315 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15317 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15318 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15320 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15321 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15322 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15328 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15329 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15330 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15331 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15332 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15337 @node Splitting in IMAP
15338 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15339 @cindex splitting imap mail
15341 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15342 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15343 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15344 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15345 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15349 Here are the variables of interest:
15353 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15354 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15356 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15358 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15359 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15361 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15363 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15364 @cindex splitting, inbox
15366 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15368 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15369 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15373 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15374 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15377 No nnmail equivalent.
15379 @item nnimap-split-rule
15380 @cindex Splitting, rules
15381 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15383 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15386 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15387 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15388 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15389 Neither did I, we need examples.
15392 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15394 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15395 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15396 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15399 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15400 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15401 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15403 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15404 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15408 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15411 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15412 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15414 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15415 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15416 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15417 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15419 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15420 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15421 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15422 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15423 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15424 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15426 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15427 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15428 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15430 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15431 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15432 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15434 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15436 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15437 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15438 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15441 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15442 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15443 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15444 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15445 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15446 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15449 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15450 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15451 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15452 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15453 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15454 group/function elements.
15456 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15458 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15460 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15462 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15463 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15465 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15466 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15467 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15470 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15471 @cindex splitting, fancy
15472 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15473 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15475 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15476 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15477 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15479 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15480 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15481 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15482 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15487 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15488 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15491 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15495 @node Expiring in IMAP
15496 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15497 @cindex expiring imap mail
15499 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15500 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15501 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15502 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15503 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15504 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15506 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15507 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15508 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15509 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15510 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15511 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15512 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15513 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15517 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15518 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15520 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15521 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15523 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15525 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15526 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15527 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15528 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15532 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15533 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15534 @cindex editing imap acls
15535 @cindex Access Control Lists
15536 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15538 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15540 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15541 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15542 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15545 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15546 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15547 editing window with detailed instructions.
15549 Some possible uses:
15553 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15554 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15555 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15557 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15558 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15559 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15563 @node Expunging mailboxes
15564 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15568 @cindex Manual expunging
15570 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15572 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15573 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15574 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15576 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15579 @node A note on namespaces
15580 @subsection A note on namespaces
15581 @cindex IMAP namespace
15584 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15585 following text in the RFC:
15588 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15590 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15591 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15592 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15593 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15595 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15596 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15597 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15598 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15599 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15600 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15603 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15604 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15605 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15607 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15608 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15609 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15610 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15611 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15612 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15613 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15614 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15616 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15617 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15618 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15620 @node Other Sources
15621 @section Other Sources
15623 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15624 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15628 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15629 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15630 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15631 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15632 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15636 @node Directory Groups
15637 @subsection Directory Groups
15639 @cindex directory groups
15641 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15642 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15645 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15646 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15647 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15648 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15650 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15651 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15652 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15653 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15654 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15656 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15658 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15659 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15660 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15661 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15664 @node Anything Groups
15665 @subsection Anything Groups
15668 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15669 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15670 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15673 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15674 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15675 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15676 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15677 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15678 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15679 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15680 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15681 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15682 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15685 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15686 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15687 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15688 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15690 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15691 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15692 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15693 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15695 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15696 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15697 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15698 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15699 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15700 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15701 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15702 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15707 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15708 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15709 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15710 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15712 @item nneething-exclude-files
15713 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15714 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15715 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15717 @item nneething-include-files
15718 @vindex nneething-include-files
15719 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15720 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15722 @item nneething-map-file
15723 @vindex nneething-map-file
15724 Name of the map files.
15728 @node Document Groups
15729 @subsection Document Groups
15731 @cindex documentation group
15734 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15735 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15742 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15747 The standard Unix mbox file.
15749 @cindex MMDF mail box
15751 The MMDF mail box format.
15754 Several news articles appended into a file.
15757 @cindex rnews batch files
15758 The rnews batch transport format.
15759 @cindex forwarded messages
15762 Forwarded articles.
15765 Netscape mail boxes.
15768 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15770 @item standard-digest
15771 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15774 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15776 @item lanl-gov-announce
15777 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15779 @item rfc822-forward
15780 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15783 The Outlook mail box.
15786 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15789 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15792 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15795 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15801 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15804 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15810 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15811 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15812 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15815 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15816 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15817 group. And that's it.
15819 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15820 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15821 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15822 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15823 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15824 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15825 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15826 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15827 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15828 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15830 Virtual server variables:
15833 @item nndoc-article-type
15834 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15835 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15836 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15837 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15838 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15839 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15841 @item nndoc-post-type
15842 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15843 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15844 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15849 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15853 @node Document Server Internals
15854 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15856 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15857 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15858 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15859 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15861 First, here's an example document type definition:
15865 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15866 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15869 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15870 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15871 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15872 types can be defined with very few settings:
15875 @item first-article
15876 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15877 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15880 @item article-begin
15881 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15882 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15884 @item head-begin-function
15885 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15888 @item nndoc-head-begin
15889 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15892 @item nndoc-head-end
15893 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15894 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15896 @item body-begin-function
15897 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15901 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15904 @item body-end-function
15905 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15909 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15912 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15913 regexp will be totally ignored.
15917 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15918 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15919 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15920 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15921 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15924 @item prepare-body-function
15925 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15926 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15927 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15929 @item article-transform-function
15930 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15931 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15932 body of the article.
15934 @item generate-head-function
15935 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15936 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15937 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15938 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15942 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15947 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15948 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15949 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15950 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15951 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15952 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15953 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15954 (subtype digest guess))
15957 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15958 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15959 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15960 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15961 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15963 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15964 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15965 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15966 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15967 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15968 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15969 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15970 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15971 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15972 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15980 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15981 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15982 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15984 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15985 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15986 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15989 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15990 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15991 that interested in doing things properly.
15993 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15994 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15997 First some terminology:
16002 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16003 get news and/or mail from.
16006 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16007 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16010 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16014 @item message packets
16015 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16016 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16017 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16019 @item response packets
16020 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16021 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16022 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16032 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16033 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16034 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16035 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16038 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16041 You put the packet in your home directory.
16044 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16045 the native or secondary server.
16048 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16049 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16052 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16056 You transfer this packet to the server.
16059 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16062 You then repeat until you die.
16066 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16067 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16070 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16071 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16072 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16076 @node SOUP Commands
16077 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16079 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16083 @kindex G s b (Group)
16084 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16085 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16086 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16087 process/prefix convention.
16090 @kindex G s w (Group)
16091 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16092 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16095 @kindex G s s (Group)
16096 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16097 Send all replies from the replies packet
16098 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16101 @kindex G s p (Group)
16102 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16103 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16106 @kindex G s r (Group)
16107 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16108 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16111 @kindex O s (Summary)
16112 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16113 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16114 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16115 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16120 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16125 @item gnus-soup-directory
16126 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16127 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16128 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16130 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16131 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16132 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16133 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16135 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16136 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16137 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16138 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16140 @item gnus-soup-packer
16141 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16142 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16143 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16145 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16146 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16147 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16148 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16150 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16151 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16152 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16154 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16155 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16156 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16157 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16163 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16166 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16167 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16168 you can read them at leisure.
16170 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16174 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16175 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16176 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16177 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16179 @item nnsoup-directory
16180 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16181 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16182 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16184 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16185 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16186 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16187 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16189 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16190 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16191 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16192 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16193 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16195 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16196 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16197 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16198 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16200 @item nnsoup-active-file
16201 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16202 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16203 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16204 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16205 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16207 @item nnsoup-packer
16208 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16209 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16210 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16212 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16213 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16214 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16215 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16217 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16218 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16219 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16222 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16223 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16224 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16227 @item nnsoup-always-save
16228 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16229 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16235 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16237 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16238 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16239 more for that to happen.
16241 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16242 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16243 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16246 In specific, this is what it does:
16249 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16250 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16253 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16254 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16255 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16258 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16259 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16260 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16263 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16264 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16265 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16267 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16273 @item nngateway-address
16274 @vindex nngateway-address
16275 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16277 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16278 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16279 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16280 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16281 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16282 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16283 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16286 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16287 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16288 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16291 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16294 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16297 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16300 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16302 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16305 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16306 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16307 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16309 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16311 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16312 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16313 @code{nngateway-address}.
16318 (setq gnus-post-method
16320 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16321 (nngateway-header-transformation
16322 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16330 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16333 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16338 @node Combined Groups
16339 @section Combined Groups
16341 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16345 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16346 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16350 @node Virtual Groups
16351 @subsection Virtual Groups
16353 @cindex virtual groups
16354 @cindex merging groups
16356 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16359 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16360 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16361 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16363 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16364 regexp to match component groups.
16366 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16367 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16368 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16369 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16370 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16371 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16372 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16373 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16375 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16376 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16379 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16382 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16383 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16385 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16386 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16387 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16388 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16391 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16394 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16395 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16396 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16398 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16399 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16400 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16401 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16402 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16404 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16405 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16406 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16408 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16409 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16410 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16411 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16412 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16413 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16414 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16415 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16416 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16417 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16418 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16420 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16421 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16422 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16423 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16424 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16425 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16426 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16428 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16429 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16431 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16432 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16436 @node Kibozed Groups
16437 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16441 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16442 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16443 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16444 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16446 @kindex G k (Group)
16447 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16450 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16451 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16452 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16453 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16455 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16456 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16457 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16459 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16460 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16461 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16462 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16463 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16464 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16465 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16466 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16468 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16469 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16470 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16471 Stranger things have happened.
16473 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16474 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16476 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16477 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16478 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16479 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16480 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16481 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16483 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16484 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16487 @node Gnus Unplugged
16488 @section Gnus Unplugged
16493 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16495 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16496 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16497 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16498 read news. Believe it or not.
16500 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16501 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16502 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16503 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16504 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16506 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16507 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16508 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16509 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16510 reading news on a machine.
16512 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16513 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16515 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16518 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16519 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16520 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16521 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16522 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16523 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16524 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16525 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16526 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16527 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16528 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16533 @subsection Agent Basics
16535 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16537 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16538 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16539 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16540 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16542 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16543 connected to the net continuously.
16545 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16546 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16548 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16553 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16554 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16555 already fetched while in this mode.
16558 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16559 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16560 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16561 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16562 Source Specifiers}).
16565 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16566 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16567 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16568 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16569 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16572 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16573 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16574 then you read the news offline.
16577 And then you go to step 2.
16580 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16586 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16587 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16588 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16589 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16590 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16591 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16592 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16593 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16596 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16603 @node Agent Categories
16604 @subsection Agent Categories
16606 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16607 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16608 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16609 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16610 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16611 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16612 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16614 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16615 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16616 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16617 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16618 managing categories.
16621 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16622 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16623 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16627 @node Category Syntax
16628 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16630 A category consists of two things.
16634 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16635 are eligible for downloading; and
16638 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16639 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16640 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16643 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16644 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16645 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16646 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16648 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16649 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16650 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16652 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16653 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16654 operators sprinkled in between.
16656 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16658 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16659 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16665 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16666 short (for some value of ``short'').
16668 Here's a more complex predicate:
16677 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16678 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16681 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16682 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16683 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16685 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16686 you want to do, you can write your own.
16690 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16691 lines; default 100.
16694 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16695 lines; default 200.
16698 True iff the article has a download score less than
16699 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16702 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16703 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16706 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16707 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16708 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16717 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16718 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16719 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16722 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16723 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16724 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16725 something along the lines of the following:
16728 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16729 "Say whether an article is old."
16730 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16731 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16734 with the predicate then defined as:
16737 (not my-article-old-p)
16740 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16741 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16745 (require 'gnus-agent)
16746 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16747 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16748 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16751 and simply specify your predicate as:
16757 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16758 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16759 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16760 just don't give a damn.
16762 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16763 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16764 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16765 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16766 parameters like so:
16769 (agent-predicate . short)
16772 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16773 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16774 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16776 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16779 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16782 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16783 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16784 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16787 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16788 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16789 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16790 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16791 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16792 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16794 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16795 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16796 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16797 if it's to be specific to that group.
16799 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16806 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16807 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16813 Category specification
16817 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16823 Group Parameter specification
16826 (agent-score ("from"
16827 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16832 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16838 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16845 Category specification
16848 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16854 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16858 Group Parameter specification
16861 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16864 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16869 Use @code{normal} score files
16871 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16872 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16873 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16874 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16876 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16877 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16878 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16879 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16883 Category Specification
16890 Group Parameter specification
16893 (agent-score . file)
16898 @node Category Buffer
16899 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16901 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16902 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16903 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16905 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16909 @kindex q (Category)
16910 @findex gnus-category-exit
16911 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16914 @kindex k (Category)
16915 @findex gnus-category-kill
16916 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16919 @kindex c (Category)
16920 @findex gnus-category-copy
16921 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16924 @kindex a (Category)
16925 @findex gnus-category-add
16926 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16929 @kindex p (Category)
16930 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16931 Edit the predicate of the current category
16932 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16935 @kindex g (Category)
16936 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16937 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16938 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16941 @kindex s (Category)
16942 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16943 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16944 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16947 @kindex l (Category)
16948 @findex gnus-category-list
16949 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16953 @node Category Variables
16954 @subsubsection Category Variables
16957 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16958 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16959 Hook run in category buffers.
16961 @item gnus-category-line-format
16962 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16963 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16964 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16968 The name of the category.
16971 The number of groups in the category.
16974 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16975 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16976 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16978 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16979 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16980 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16982 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16983 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16984 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16986 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16987 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16988 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16991 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16992 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16993 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16999 @node Agent Commands
17000 @subsection Agent Commands
17002 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17003 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17004 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17008 * Group Agent Commands::
17009 * Summary Agent Commands::
17010 * Server Agent Commands::
17016 @node Group Agent Commands
17017 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17021 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17022 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17023 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17024 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17027 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17028 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17029 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17032 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17033 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17034 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17035 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17038 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17039 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17040 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17041 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17044 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17045 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17046 Add the current group to an Agent category
17047 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17048 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17051 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17052 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17053 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17054 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17055 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17058 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17059 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17060 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17066 @node Summary Agent Commands
17067 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17071 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17072 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17073 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17076 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17077 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17078 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17079 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17082 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17083 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17084 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17087 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17088 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17089 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17092 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17093 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17094 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17095 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17100 @node Server Agent Commands
17101 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17105 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17106 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17107 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17108 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17111 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17112 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17113 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17114 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17119 @node Agent as Cache
17120 @subsection Agent as Cache
17122 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17123 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17124 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17125 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17126 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17127 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17128 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17129 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17130 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17132 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17133 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17136 @subsection Agent Expiry
17138 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17139 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17140 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17141 @cindex Agent expiry
17142 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17145 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17146 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17147 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17148 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17149 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17150 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17152 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17153 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17154 expiry in different groups.
17157 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17163 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17164 method---it must always match all groups.
17166 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17167 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17168 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17169 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17170 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17172 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17173 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17174 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17175 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17177 @node Agent and IMAP
17178 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17180 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17181 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17182 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17183 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17185 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17186 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17187 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17188 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17190 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17191 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17192 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17193 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17195 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17196 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17197 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17198 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17199 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17200 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17202 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17203 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17204 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17205 in the group buffer.
17207 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17208 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17213 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17216 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17220 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17221 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17222 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17223 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17224 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17225 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17226 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17227 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17230 @node Outgoing Messages
17231 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17233 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17234 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17235 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17237 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17238 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17239 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17240 messages in the draft group.
17244 @node Agent Variables
17245 @subsection Agent Variables
17248 @item gnus-agent-directory
17249 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17250 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17251 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17253 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17254 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17255 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17256 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17257 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17260 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17261 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17262 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17264 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17265 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17266 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17268 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17269 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17270 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17272 @item gnus-agent-cache
17273 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17274 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17275 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17276 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17278 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17279 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17280 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17281 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17282 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17283 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17284 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17287 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17288 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17289 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17290 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17291 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17292 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17293 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17294 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17295 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17300 @node Example Setup
17301 @subsection Example Setup
17303 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17304 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17305 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17308 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17309 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17310 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17312 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17313 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17314 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17316 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17317 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17319 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17320 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17321 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17324 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17325 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17328 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17329 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17330 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17331 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17332 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17335 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17336 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17337 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17338 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17339 back all the killed groups.)
17341 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17342 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17343 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17346 @node Batching Agents
17347 @subsection Batching Agents
17349 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17350 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17351 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17353 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
17354 following incantation:
17358 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
17362 @node Agent Caveats
17363 @subsection Agent Caveats
17365 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17366 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17370 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17372 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
17373 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
17374 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
17376 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17378 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17382 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17383 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17384 locally stored articles.
17391 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17392 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17393 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17396 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17397 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17398 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17399 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17400 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17402 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17403 before generating the summary buffer.
17405 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17406 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17407 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17409 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17410 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17411 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17412 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17415 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17416 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17417 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17418 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17419 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17420 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17421 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17422 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17423 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17424 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17425 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17426 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17427 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17428 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17429 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17430 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17431 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17435 @node Summary Score Commands
17436 @section Summary Score Commands
17437 @cindex score commands
17439 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17440 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17441 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17442 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17443 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17445 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17446 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17447 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17448 score file the current one.
17450 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17455 @kindex V s (Summary)
17456 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17457 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17460 @kindex V S (Summary)
17461 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17462 Display the score of the current article
17463 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17466 @kindex V t (Summary)
17467 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17468 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17469 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17472 @kindex V w (Summary)
17473 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17474 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17477 @kindex V R (Summary)
17478 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17479 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17480 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17481 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17482 effect you're having.
17485 @kindex V c (Summary)
17486 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17487 Make a different score file the current
17488 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17491 @kindex V e (Summary)
17492 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17493 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17494 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17498 @kindex V f (Summary)
17499 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17500 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17501 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17504 @kindex V F (Summary)
17505 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17506 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17507 after editing score files.
17510 @kindex V C (Summary)
17511 @findex gnus-score-customize
17512 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17513 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17517 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17522 @kindex V m (Summary)
17523 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17524 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17525 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17528 @kindex V x (Summary)
17529 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17530 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17531 expunge all articles below this score
17532 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17535 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17536 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17539 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17540 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17544 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17545 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17547 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17548 keys are available:
17552 Score on the author name.
17555 Score on the subject line.
17558 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17561 Score on the @code{References} line.
17567 Score on the number of lines.
17570 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17573 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17574 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17577 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17578 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17579 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17588 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17594 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17595 what headers you are scoring on.
17607 Substring matching.
17610 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17639 Greater than number.
17644 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17645 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17646 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17651 Temporary score entry.
17654 Permanent score entry.
17657 Immediately scoring.
17661 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17662 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17663 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17667 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17668 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17669 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17670 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17672 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17673 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17674 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17675 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17676 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17678 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17679 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17680 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17681 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17682 current score file.
17684 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17685 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17686 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17689 @node Group Score Commands
17690 @section Group Score Commands
17691 @cindex group score commands
17693 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17698 @kindex W f (Group)
17699 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17700 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17701 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17702 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17706 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17708 @findex gnus-batch-score
17709 @cindex batch scoring
17711 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17715 @node Score Variables
17716 @section Score Variables
17717 @cindex score variables
17721 @item gnus-use-scoring
17722 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17723 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17724 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17726 @item gnus-kill-killed
17727 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17728 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17729 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17730 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17731 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17732 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17733 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17735 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17736 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17737 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17738 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17739 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17741 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17742 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17743 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17744 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17746 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17747 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17748 @cindex score cache
17749 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17750 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17751 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
17752 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17753 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17754 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17757 @item gnus-save-score
17758 @vindex gnus-save-score
17759 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17760 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17761 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17763 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17764 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17765 across group visits.
17767 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17768 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17769 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17770 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17771 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17772 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17773 manually entered data.
17775 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17776 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17777 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17779 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17780 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17781 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17782 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17783 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17784 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17786 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17787 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17788 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17789 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17791 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17792 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17793 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17794 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17796 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17797 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17798 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17799 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17801 Predefined functions available are:
17804 @item gnus-score-find-single
17805 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17806 Only apply the group's own score file.
17808 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17809 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17810 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17811 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17812 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17813 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17814 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17815 then a regexp match is done.
17817 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17818 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17820 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17821 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17822 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17823 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17825 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17826 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17827 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17828 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17829 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17833 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17834 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17835 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17836 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17837 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17838 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17839 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17842 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17843 overall score file, you could use the value
17845 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17846 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17849 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17850 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17851 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17852 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17853 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17855 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17856 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17857 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17858 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17859 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17860 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17861 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17862 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17864 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17865 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17866 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17868 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17869 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17870 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17871 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17872 threading---according to the current value of
17873 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17874 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17875 simplified in this manner.
17880 @node Score File Format
17881 @section Score File Format
17882 @cindex score file format
17884 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17885 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17886 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17888 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17892 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17894 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17896 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17898 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17903 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17907 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17908 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17909 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17910 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17914 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17915 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17917 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17918 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17919 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17921 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17926 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17927 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17928 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17929 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17930 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17931 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17932 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17933 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17934 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17935 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17936 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17937 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17938 to articles that matches these score entries.
17940 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17941 score entry has one to four elements.
17945 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17946 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17950 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17951 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17952 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17953 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17954 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17955 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17958 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17959 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17960 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17961 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17962 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17965 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17966 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17967 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17968 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17971 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17972 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17973 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17974 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17975 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17976 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17977 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17978 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17979 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17980 instead, if you feel like.
17983 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17984 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17985 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17986 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17987 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17988 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17991 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17995 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17996 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17998 These predicates are true if
18001 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18004 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18005 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18012 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18013 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18014 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18015 it's not. I think.)
18017 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18018 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18019 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18020 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18023 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18024 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18025 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18026 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18027 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18028 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18029 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18033 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18034 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18035 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18036 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18037 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18038 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18039 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18040 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18043 @item Head, Body, All
18044 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18048 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18049 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18050 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18051 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18052 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18053 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18054 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18058 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18059 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18060 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18061 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18062 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18063 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18064 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18065 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18066 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18067 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18068 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18072 @cindex Score File Atoms
18074 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18075 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18078 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18079 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18081 @item mark-and-expunge
18082 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18083 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18086 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18087 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18088 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18089 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18090 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18093 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18094 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18097 @item exclude-files
18098 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18099 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18103 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18104 ignored when handling global score files.
18107 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18108 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18109 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18110 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18113 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18114 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18115 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18116 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18118 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18122 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18125 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18126 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18127 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18128 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18129 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18131 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18132 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18133 scoring rules exist.
18136 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18137 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18138 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18139 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18140 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18141 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18142 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18143 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18144 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18145 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18146 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18150 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18151 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18152 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18153 file for a number of groups.
18156 @cindex local variables
18157 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18158 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18159 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18160 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18161 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18165 @node Score File Editing
18166 @section Score File Editing
18168 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18169 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18170 with a mode for that.
18172 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18173 additional commands:
18178 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18179 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18180 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18181 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18184 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18185 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18186 Insert the current date in numerical format
18187 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18188 you were wondering.
18191 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18192 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18193 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18194 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18195 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18200 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18202 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18203 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18205 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18206 e} to begin editing score files.
18209 @node Adaptive Scoring
18210 @section Adaptive Scoring
18211 @cindex adaptive scoring
18213 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18214 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18215 stupidity, to be precise.
18217 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18218 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18219 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18220 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18221 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18222 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18223 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18224 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18225 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18227 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18228 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18229 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18230 might look something like this:
18233 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18234 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18235 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18236 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18237 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18238 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18239 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18240 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18241 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18242 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18243 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18244 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18247 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18248 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18249 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18250 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18251 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18252 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18255 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18256 will be applied to each article.
18258 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18259 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18260 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18261 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18263 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18264 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18265 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18266 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18268 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18269 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18270 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18271 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18273 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18274 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18275 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18276 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18277 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18278 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18280 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18281 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18282 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18283 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18284 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18285 aspirins afterwards.)
18287 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18288 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18289 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18291 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18292 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18293 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18295 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18296 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18297 let you use different rules in different groups.
18299 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18300 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18301 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18304 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18305 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18306 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18307 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18308 the length of the match is less than
18309 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18310 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18313 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18314 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18315 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18316 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18317 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18320 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18321 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18322 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18323 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18324 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18327 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18328 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18329 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18330 score with 30 points.
18332 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18333 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18334 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18335 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18336 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18338 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18339 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18340 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18341 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18342 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18344 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18345 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18346 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18347 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18349 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18350 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18351 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18352 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18354 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18355 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18356 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18357 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18358 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18360 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18361 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18362 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18364 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18365 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18366 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18367 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18370 @node Home Score File
18371 @section Home Score File
18373 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18374 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18375 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18376 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18378 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18379 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18380 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18382 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18383 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18388 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18392 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18393 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18397 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18401 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18402 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18405 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18406 the home score file.
18409 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18412 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18417 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18420 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18421 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18424 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18425 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18427 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18429 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18430 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18433 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18434 Other functions include
18437 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18438 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18439 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18440 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18444 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18445 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18446 their own home score files:
18449 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18450 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18451 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18452 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18453 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18456 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18457 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18458 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18459 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18460 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18462 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18463 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18464 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18465 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18466 precedence over this variable.
18469 @node Followups To Yourself
18470 @section Followups To Yourself
18472 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18473 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18474 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18475 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18476 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18477 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18481 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18482 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18483 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18486 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18487 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18488 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18492 @vindex message-sent-hook
18493 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18494 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18496 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18500 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18501 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18505 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18506 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18509 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18510 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18515 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18519 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18520 is system-dependent.
18523 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18524 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18525 @cindex scoring on other headers
18527 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18528 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18529 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18530 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18531 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18533 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18534 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18535 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18536 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18537 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18539 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18542 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18543 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18546 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18547 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18548 time if you have much mail.
18550 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18551 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18557 @section Scoring Tips
18558 @cindex scoring tips
18564 @cindex scoring crossposts
18565 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18566 the @code{Xref} header.
18568 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18571 @item Multiple crossposts
18572 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18573 more than, say, 3 groups:
18576 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18580 @item Matching on the body
18581 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18582 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18583 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18584 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18585 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18586 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18587 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18590 @item Marking as read
18591 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18592 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18593 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18597 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18599 @item Negated character classes
18600 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18601 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18602 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18606 @node Reverse Scoring
18607 @section Reverse Scoring
18608 @cindex reverse scoring
18610 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18611 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18612 like this in your score file:
18616 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18621 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18622 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18625 @node Global Score Files
18626 @section Global Score Files
18627 @cindex global score files
18629 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18630 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18631 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18633 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18634 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18635 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18637 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18638 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18639 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18640 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18641 files are applicable to which group.
18643 To use the score file
18644 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18645 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18649 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18650 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18651 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18654 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18656 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18657 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18658 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18659 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18661 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18662 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18664 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18665 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18666 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18667 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18668 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18669 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18671 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18677 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18679 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18681 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18683 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18684 lowered out of existence.
18686 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18687 articles completely.
18690 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18691 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18692 old articles for a long time.
18695 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18696 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18697 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18698 holding our breath yet?
18702 @section Kill Files
18705 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18706 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18707 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18709 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18710 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18711 files into score files.
18713 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18714 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18715 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18716 that isn't a very good idea.
18718 Normal kill files look like this:
18721 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18722 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18726 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18727 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18729 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18730 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18733 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18738 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18739 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18740 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18743 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18744 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18745 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18748 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18753 @kindex M-k (Group)
18754 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18755 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18758 @kindex M-K (Group)
18759 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18760 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18763 Kill file variables:
18766 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18767 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18768 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18769 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18770 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18771 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18772 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18774 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18775 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18776 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18777 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18780 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18781 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18782 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18783 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18784 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18785 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18786 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18787 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18788 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18790 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18791 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18792 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18797 @node Converting Kill Files
18798 @section Converting Kill Files
18800 @cindex converting kill files
18802 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18803 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18804 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18807 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18808 You can fetch it from
18809 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18811 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18812 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18813 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18821 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18822 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18823 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18824 news articles generated every day.
18826 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18827 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18828 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18829 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18830 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18831 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18832 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18833 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18836 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18837 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18840 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18841 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18842 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18843 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18847 @node Using GroupLens
18848 @subsection Using GroupLens
18850 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18852 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18853 better bit in town at the moment.
18855 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18859 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18860 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18861 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18862 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18864 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18865 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18866 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18867 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18869 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18870 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18871 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18875 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18876 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18877 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18878 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18879 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18880 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18883 @node Rating Articles
18884 @subsection Rating Articles
18886 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18887 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18888 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18889 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18892 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18897 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18898 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18899 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18902 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18903 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18904 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18905 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18906 threads in rec.humor.
18910 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18911 the score of the article you're reading.
18916 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18917 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18918 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18921 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18922 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18923 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18927 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18928 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18931 @node Displaying Predictions
18932 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18934 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18935 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18936 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18937 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18938 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18940 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18941 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18942 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18943 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18944 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18945 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18946 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18947 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18948 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18949 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18950 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18951 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18952 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18954 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18955 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18956 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18957 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18959 The following are valid values for that variable.
18962 @item prediction-spot
18963 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18966 @item confidence-interval
18967 A numeric confidence interval.
18969 @item prediction-bar
18970 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18972 @item confidence-bar
18973 Numerical confidence.
18975 @item confidence-spot
18976 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18978 @item prediction-num
18979 Plain-old numeric value.
18981 @item confidence-plus-minus
18982 Prediction +/- confidence.
18987 @node GroupLens Variables
18988 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18992 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18993 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18994 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18995 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18998 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18999 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19002 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19003 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19005 @item grouplens-score-offset
19006 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19007 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19010 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19011 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19012 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19017 @node Advanced Scoring
19018 @section Advanced Scoring
19020 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19021 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19022 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19023 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19024 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19026 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19030 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19031 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19032 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19036 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19037 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19039 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19040 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19041 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19042 non-@code{nil} value.
19044 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19045 operator, and various match operators.
19052 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19053 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19054 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19059 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19060 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19061 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19066 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19067 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19071 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19072 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19073 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19074 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19075 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19076 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19077 the ancestry you want to go.
19079 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19080 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19081 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19082 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19083 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19086 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19087 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19089 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19090 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19093 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19094 when he's talking about Gnus:
19098 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19099 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19105 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19109 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19116 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19117 really don't want to read what he's written:
19121 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19122 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19126 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19127 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19128 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19135 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19136 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19137 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19138 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19142 The possibilities are endless.
19145 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19146 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19148 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19149 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19150 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19151 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19152 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19153 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19154 @samp{subject}) first.
19156 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19157 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19168 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19169 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19175 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19182 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19183 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19188 @section Score Decays
19189 @cindex score decays
19192 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19193 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19194 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19195 use them in any sensible way.
19197 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19198 @findex gnus-decay-score
19199 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19200 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19201 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19202 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19203 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19204 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19205 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19206 definition of that function:
19209 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19211 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19212 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19215 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19217 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19219 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19222 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19223 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19224 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19225 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19229 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19232 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19235 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19239 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19240 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19241 the new score, which should be an integer.
19243 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19244 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19249 @include message.texi
19250 @chapter Emacs MIME
19251 @include emacs-mime.texi
19253 @include sieve.texi
19255 @c @include pgg.texi
19263 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19264 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19265 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19266 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19267 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19268 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19269 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19270 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19271 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19272 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19273 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19274 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19275 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19276 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19277 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19278 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19279 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19280 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19281 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19285 @node Process/Prefix
19286 @section Process/Prefix
19287 @cindex process/prefix convention
19289 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19290 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19292 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19293 command to be performed on.
19297 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19298 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19299 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19300 with the current one.
19302 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19303 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19304 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19306 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19307 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19310 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19311 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19313 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19316 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19317 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19318 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19319 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19321 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19322 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19323 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19324 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19325 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19326 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19327 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19328 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19330 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19331 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19332 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19333 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19334 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19338 @section Interactive
19339 @cindex interaction
19343 @item gnus-novice-user
19344 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19345 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19346 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19347 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19348 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19351 @item gnus-expert-user
19352 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19353 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19354 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19355 matter how strange.
19357 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19358 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19359 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19360 is @code{t} by default.
19362 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19363 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19364 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19369 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19370 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19371 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19373 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19374 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19375 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19376 rule of 900 to the current article.
19378 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19379 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19380 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19381 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19382 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19383 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19384 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19386 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19387 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19388 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19389 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19390 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19391 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19392 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19393 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19394 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19396 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19397 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19398 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19400 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19404 @node Formatting Variables
19405 @section Formatting Variables
19406 @cindex formatting variables
19408 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19409 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19410 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19411 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19412 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19415 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19416 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19417 lots of percentages everywhere.
19420 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19421 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19422 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19423 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19424 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19425 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19426 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19427 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19430 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19431 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19432 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19433 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19434 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19435 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19436 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19437 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19439 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19440 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19442 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19443 @findex gnus-update-format
19444 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19445 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19446 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19447 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19451 @node Formatting Basics
19452 @subsection Formatting Basics
19454 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19455 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19456 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19458 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19459 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19460 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19461 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19462 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19465 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19466 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19467 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19468 less than 4 characters wide.
19470 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19471 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19474 @node Mode Line Formatting
19475 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19477 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19478 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19479 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19480 with the following two differences:
19485 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19488 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19489 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19490 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19491 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19492 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19493 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19494 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19499 @node Advanced Formatting
19500 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19502 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19503 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19504 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19505 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19507 These are the valid modifiers:
19512 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19516 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19521 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19524 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19529 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19532 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19535 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19538 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19544 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19549 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19550 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19551 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19552 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19553 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19554 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19555 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19557 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19558 last operation, padding.
19560 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19561 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19562 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19563 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19564 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19565 the look of your lines.
19566 @xref{Compilation}.
19569 @node User-Defined Specs
19570 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19572 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19573 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19574 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19575 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19576 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19577 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19578 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19579 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19580 should protect against that.
19582 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19583 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19585 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19586 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19587 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19588 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19592 @node Formatting Fonts
19593 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19595 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19596 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19597 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19598 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19601 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19602 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19603 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19604 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19605 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19606 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19608 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19609 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19610 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19611 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19612 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19613 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19614 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19615 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19616 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19617 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19619 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19622 ;; Create three face types.
19623 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19624 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19626 ;; We want the article count to be in
19627 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19628 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19629 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19631 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19632 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19634 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19635 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19636 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19639 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19640 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19642 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19643 mode-line variables.
19645 @node Positioning Point
19646 @subsection Positioning Point
19648 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19649 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19650 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19652 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19654 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19655 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19656 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19658 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19659 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
19660 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19665 @subsection Tabulation
19667 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19668 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19669 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19670 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19672 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19673 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19675 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19676 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19677 This is the soft tabulator.
19679 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19680 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19681 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19684 @node Wide Characters
19685 @subsection Wide Characters
19687 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19688 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19689 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19691 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19692 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19693 these countries, that's not true.
19695 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19696 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19697 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19698 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19702 @node Window Layout
19703 @section Window Layout
19704 @cindex window layout
19706 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19708 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19709 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19710 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19711 @code{t} by default.
19713 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19714 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19716 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19717 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19718 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19721 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19722 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19723 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19727 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19728 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19729 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19730 possible names is listed below.
19732 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19733 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19736 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19740 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19741 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19742 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19743 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19744 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19745 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19746 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19747 size spec per split.
19749 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19750 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19751 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19752 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19753 present) gets focus.
19755 Here's a more complicated example:
19758 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19759 (summary 0.25 point)
19760 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19764 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19765 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19766 occupy, not a percentage.
19768 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19769 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19770 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19771 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19772 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19775 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19778 (article (horizontal 1.0
19783 (summary 0.25 point)
19788 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19789 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19791 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19792 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19793 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19794 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19795 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19797 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19798 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19799 lines from the splits.
19801 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19805 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19806 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19807 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19808 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19809 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19810 size = number | frame-params
19811 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19814 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19815 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19816 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19817 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19819 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19820 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19821 @cindex window height
19822 @cindex window width
19823 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19824 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19825 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19826 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19827 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19828 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19830 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19831 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19832 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19833 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19835 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19836 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19837 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19838 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19839 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19840 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19841 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19842 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19843 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19844 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19845 configuration list.
19848 (gnus-configure-frame
19852 (article 0.3 point))
19860 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19861 @code{frame} split:
19864 (gnus-configure-frame
19867 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19869 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19870 (user-position . t)
19871 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19876 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19877 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19878 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19879 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19880 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19881 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19882 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19883 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19885 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19886 be found in its default value.
19888 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19889 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19890 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19894 (message (horizontal 1.0
19895 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19897 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19902 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19903 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19904 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19909 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19910 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19911 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19912 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19913 (name . "Message"))
19914 (message 1.0 point))))
19917 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19918 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19919 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19920 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19921 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19924 (gnus-add-configuration
19925 '(article (vertical 1.0
19927 (summary .25 point)
19931 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19932 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19933 Gnus has been loaded.
19935 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19936 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19937 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19938 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19939 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19941 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19942 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19943 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19946 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19950 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19951 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19966 (gnus-add-configuration
19969 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19971 (summary 0.16 point)
19974 (gnus-add-configuration
19977 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19978 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19984 @node Faces and Fonts
19985 @section Faces and Fonts
19990 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19991 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19992 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19997 @section Compilation
19998 @cindex compilation
19999 @cindex byte-compilation
20001 @findex gnus-compile
20003 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20004 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20005 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
20006 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
20007 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
20008 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20009 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20010 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20013 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20014 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20015 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20016 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
20017 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20020 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
20021 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20022 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
20023 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
20024 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
20029 @section Mode Lines
20032 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20033 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20034 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20035 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20036 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20037 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20038 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20041 @cindex display-time
20043 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20044 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20045 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20046 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20047 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20048 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20049 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20050 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20053 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20055 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20056 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20058 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20059 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20060 (length display-time-string)))))
20063 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20064 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20065 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20066 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20067 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20070 @node Highlighting and Menus
20071 @section Highlighting and Menus
20073 @cindex highlighting
20076 @vindex gnus-visual
20077 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20078 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20079 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20082 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20083 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20086 @item group-highlight
20087 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20088 @item summary-highlight
20089 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20090 @item article-highlight
20091 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20093 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20095 Create menus in the group buffer.
20097 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20099 Create menus in the article buffer.
20101 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20103 Create menus in the server buffer.
20105 Create menus in the score buffers.
20107 Create menus in all buffers.
20110 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20111 buffers, you could say something like:
20114 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20117 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20120 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20123 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20124 in all Gnus buffers.
20126 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20129 @item gnus-mouse-face
20130 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20131 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20132 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20136 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20140 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20141 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20142 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20144 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20145 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20146 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20148 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20149 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20150 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20152 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20153 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20154 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20156 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20157 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20158 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20160 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20161 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20162 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20173 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20174 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20175 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20176 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20177 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20181 @vindex gnus-carpal
20182 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20183 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20184 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20189 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20190 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20191 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20193 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20194 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20195 Face used on buttons.
20197 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20198 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20199 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20201 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20202 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20203 Buttons in the group buffer.
20205 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20206 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20207 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20209 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20210 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20211 Buttons in the server buffer.
20213 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20214 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20215 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20218 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20219 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20220 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20228 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20229 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20230 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20231 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20232 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20234 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20235 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20236 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20238 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20239 been idle for thirty minutes:
20242 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20245 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20249 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20252 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20253 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20254 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20256 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20257 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20258 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20259 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20261 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20262 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20263 @var{idle} minutes.
20265 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20266 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20269 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20270 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20271 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20273 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20274 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20275 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20276 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20278 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20279 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20281 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20283 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20286 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20287 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20288 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20289 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20290 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20291 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20292 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20293 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20294 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20295 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20296 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20298 @findex gnus-demon-init
20299 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20300 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20301 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20302 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20303 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20305 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20306 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20307 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20316 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20317 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20319 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20320 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20321 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20322 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20325 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20326 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20327 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20328 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20330 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20331 this will make spam disappear.
20333 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20336 @item gnus-use-nocem
20337 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20338 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20341 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20342 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20343 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20344 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20345 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20347 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20348 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20349 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20350 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20351 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20352 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20354 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20355 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20357 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20358 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20359 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20360 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20361 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20362 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20363 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20364 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20365 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20366 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20368 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20369 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20372 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20375 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20376 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20379 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20382 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20385 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20386 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20388 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20389 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20390 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20391 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20393 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20394 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20397 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20399 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20407 This might be dangerous, though.
20409 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20410 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20411 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20412 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20414 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20415 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20416 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20417 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20418 might then see old spam.
20420 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20421 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20422 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20423 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20424 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20427 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20428 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20429 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20430 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20434 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20435 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20436 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20437 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20444 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20445 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20446 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20448 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20449 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20450 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20451 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20452 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20453 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20454 @code{undo} function.
20456 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20457 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20458 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20459 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20460 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20461 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20462 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20463 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20464 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20465 never be totally undoable.
20467 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20468 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20470 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20471 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20472 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20473 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20477 @node Predicate Specifiers
20478 @section Predicate Specifiers
20479 @cindex predicate specifiers
20481 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20482 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20483 to type all that much.
20485 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20490 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20491 gnus-article-unread-p)
20494 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20495 functions all take one parameter.
20497 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20498 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20499 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20500 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20505 @section Moderation
20508 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20509 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20510 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20513 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20517 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20520 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20522 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20527 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20528 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20529 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20532 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20533 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20536 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20537 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20541 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20544 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20545 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20549 @node Image Enhancements
20550 @section Image Enhancements
20552 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20553 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20556 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20557 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20558 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20559 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20560 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20573 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20574 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20575 over your shoulder as you read news.
20578 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20579 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20580 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20581 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20582 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20587 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20589 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20598 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20599 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20600 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20601 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20602 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20603 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20604 @code{GIF} formats.
20607 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20608 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20609 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20610 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20611 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20613 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20614 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20615 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20616 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20617 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20618 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20620 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20621 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20624 @node Picon Requirements
20625 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20627 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20628 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20629 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20630 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20632 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20633 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20634 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20635 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20636 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20637 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20640 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20642 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20643 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20646 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20647 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20650 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20651 containing the Picons databases.
20653 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20656 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20657 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20662 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20670 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20671 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20672 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20673 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20674 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20679 @item gnus-picons-database
20680 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20681 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20682 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20683 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20684 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20685 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20687 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20688 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20689 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20690 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20691 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20692 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20693 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20695 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20696 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20697 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20698 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20699 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20700 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20701 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20702 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20704 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20705 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20706 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20711 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20712 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20714 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20715 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20718 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20720 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20721 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20722 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20723 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20725 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20726 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20727 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20728 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20734 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20735 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20743 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20744 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20745 don't need to worry about.
20749 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20750 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20751 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20752 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20754 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20755 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20756 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20757 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20759 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20760 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20761 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20762 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20763 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20765 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20766 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20767 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20768 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20769 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20770 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20771 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20772 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20774 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20775 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20776 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20777 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20778 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20780 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20781 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20782 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20783 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20784 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20785 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20786 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20788 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20789 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20790 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20791 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20793 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20794 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20795 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20796 Defaults to @code{t}.
20798 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20799 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20800 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20801 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20803 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20804 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20805 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20807 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20808 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20809 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20810 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20812 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20813 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20815 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20816 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20817 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20818 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20819 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20820 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20821 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20822 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20833 @subsection Smileys
20838 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20843 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20844 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20846 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20847 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20850 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20853 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20854 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20855 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20856 text and maps that to file names.
20858 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20859 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20860 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20861 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20862 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20863 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20865 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20866 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20868 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20869 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20870 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20872 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20873 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20877 @item smiley-data-directory
20878 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20879 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20881 @item smiley-flesh-color
20882 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20883 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20885 @item smiley-features-color
20886 @vindex smiley-features-color
20887 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20889 @item smiley-tongue-color
20890 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20891 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20893 @item smiley-circle-color
20894 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20895 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20897 @item smiley-mouse-face
20898 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20899 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20908 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20909 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20910 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20914 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20915 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20916 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20917 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20925 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20926 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20927 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20928 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20930 The variable that controls this is the
20931 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20932 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20933 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20934 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20935 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20937 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20938 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20939 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20940 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20943 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20944 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20945 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20946 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20947 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20948 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20949 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20950 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20952 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20955 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20956 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20958 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20959 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20960 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20961 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20962 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20963 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20965 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20966 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20967 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20969 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20970 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20973 (setq message-required-news-headers
20974 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20975 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20978 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20981 (setq message-required-news-headers
20982 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20983 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20984 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20985 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20990 @subsection Toolbar
21000 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21001 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21002 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21003 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21004 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21006 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21007 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21008 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21010 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21011 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21012 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21014 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21015 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21016 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21022 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21025 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21026 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21027 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21028 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21029 unusual directory structure.
21031 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21032 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21033 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21034 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21036 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21037 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21038 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21039 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21040 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21041 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21043 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21044 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21045 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21059 @node Fuzzy Matching
21060 @section Fuzzy Matching
21061 @cindex fuzzy matching
21063 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21064 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21066 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21067 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21068 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21070 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21071 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21072 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21073 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21074 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21077 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21078 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21082 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21084 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21085 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21086 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21087 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21088 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21089 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21090 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21091 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21094 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21095 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21096 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21097 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21098 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21099 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21101 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21104 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21105 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21106 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21107 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21108 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21109 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21112 @node The problem of spam
21113 @subsection The problem of spam
21115 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21116 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21118 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21120 First, some background on spam.
21122 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21123 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21124 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21125 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21126 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21127 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21128 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21129 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21131 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21132 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21133 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21134 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21135 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21136 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21137 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21138 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21139 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21142 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21143 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21144 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21145 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21146 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21147 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21148 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21149 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21150 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21151 mail can be useful.
21153 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21154 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21155 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21156 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21157 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21158 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21159 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21160 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21161 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21163 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21164 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21165 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21166 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21167 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21168 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21169 because of the incident.
21171 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21172 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21173 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21174 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21175 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21176 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21177 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21178 to store the database of spam analyses.
21180 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21181 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21185 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21187 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21188 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21190 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21191 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21192 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21193 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21194 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21195 part of the mail address.)
21198 (setq message-default-news-headers
21199 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21202 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21203 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21208 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21209 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21210 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21216 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21217 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21218 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21219 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21221 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21222 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21223 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21224 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21225 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21226 your fancy split rule in this way:
21231 (to "larsi" "misc")
21235 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21236 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21237 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21238 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21239 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21241 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21242 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21243 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21244 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21245 cosmic balance somewhat.
21247 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21248 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21249 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21250 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21255 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21256 @cindex SpamAssassin
21257 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21260 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21261 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21262 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21263 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21264 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21265 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21266 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21268 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21269 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21270 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21271 Specifiers}) follows.
21275 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21278 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21281 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21282 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21283 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21286 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21290 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21293 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21294 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21298 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21299 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21300 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21301 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21304 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21306 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21308 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21309 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21311 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21313 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21314 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21318 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21319 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21320 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21323 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21324 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21326 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21327 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21328 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21332 @subsection Hashcash
21335 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21336 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21337 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21338 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21339 in smaller communities.
21341 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21342 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21343 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21344 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21345 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21346 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21347 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21348 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21349 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21350 one of them separately.
21353 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21354 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21355 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21356 header. For more details, and for the external application
21357 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21358 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21359 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21361 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21365 (require 'hashcash)
21366 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21369 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21370 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21371 development contrib directory.
21373 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21377 @item hashcash-default-payment
21378 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21379 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21380 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21381 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21383 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21384 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21385 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21386 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21387 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21388 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21389 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21390 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21394 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21398 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21399 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21400 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21401 a useful contribution, however.
21403 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21404 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21405 @cindex spam filtering
21408 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21409 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21410 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21411 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21414 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21415 the following keyboard commands:
21425 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21426 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21428 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21429 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21430 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21431 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21437 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21438 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21440 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21447 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21448 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21451 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21452 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21453 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21454 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21455 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21456 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21457 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21458 will be detected later.
21460 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21461 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21462 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21463 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21464 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21465 by customizing the corresponding variable
21466 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21467 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21468 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21469 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21470 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21471 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21472 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21475 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21476 they get the @samp{H} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21477 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21478 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{H}
21479 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21480 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21481 spam-marked (@samp{H}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21482 will study them as spam samples.
21484 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21485 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21486 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21487 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21488 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21489 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21490 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21491 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21493 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21494 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21495 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21496 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21499 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21500 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21501 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21504 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21505 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21506 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21507 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21508 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21509 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{H},
21512 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21513 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21514 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21515 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21516 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21517 parameter or the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations} variable. The
21518 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21519 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21521 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21522 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21524 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21525 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21526 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or the
21527 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable. The location is a
21528 group name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not
21529 set, the spam articles are only expired.
21531 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21532 must add the following to your fancy split list
21533 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21539 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21540 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21541 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21543 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21544 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21545 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21546 but you can customize it.
21548 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
21549 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
21550 longer spam or ham.}
21552 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
21553 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
21556 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21557 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21560 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21561 * BBDB Whitelists::
21564 * ifile spam filtering::
21565 * spam-stat spam filtering::
21566 * Extending spam.el::
21569 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21570 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21571 @cindex spam filtering
21572 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21573 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21576 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21577 Set this variable to t if you want to use blacklists when splitting
21578 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist will be
21579 sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit filter,
21580 meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to be
21584 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21585 Set this variable to t if you want to use whitelists when splitting
21586 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the whitelist will
21587 be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an implicit filter,
21588 meaning it believes everyone to be a spammer unless told otherwise.
21592 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21593 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21594 customizing the group parameters or the
21595 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21596 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21597 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21600 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21601 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21602 customizing the group parameters or the
21603 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21604 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21605 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21606 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21607 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21610 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21611 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21612 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21613 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21614 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21616 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21617 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21618 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21619 whitelists is very comprehensive or permissive. Also see @ref{BBDB
21620 Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21623 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21624 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21625 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21626 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21627 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21628 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21630 @node BBDB Whitelists
21631 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21632 @cindex spam filtering
21633 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21634 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21637 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21639 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21640 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21641 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21642 @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21643 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21647 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21648 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21649 customizing the group parameters or the
21650 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21651 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21652 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21653 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21654 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21658 @subsubsection Blackholes
21659 @cindex spam filtering
21660 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21663 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21665 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21666 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21667 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21668 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21669 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21670 contains outdated servers.
21672 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21673 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21674 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21675 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21676 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21677 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21681 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21683 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21687 @defvar spam-use-dig
21689 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
21690 The default setting of t is recommended.
21694 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
21695 ham processor for blackholes.
21698 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21699 @cindex spam filtering
21700 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21703 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21705 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21706 speedy Bogofilter. This has been tested with a locally patched copy
21707 of version 0.4. Make sure to read the installation comments in
21710 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21711 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21712 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21713 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21714 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21715 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21716 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21717 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21718 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21720 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
21721 processing will be turned off.
21726 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
21727 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21728 customizing the group parameters or the
21729 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21730 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
21731 will be added to the bogofilter spam database, and ham-marked articles
21732 will be added to the bogofilter ham database. @strong{Note that the
21733 Bogofilter spam processor is the only spam processor to also do ham
21737 @node ifile spam filtering
21738 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
21739 @cindex spam filtering
21740 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21743 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21745 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
21746 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
21750 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
21752 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
21753 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
21754 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
21758 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
21760 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
21761 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
21762 the default value of @samp{spam}.
21765 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
21767 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
21768 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
21772 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
21773 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
21774 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
21775 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
21778 @node spam-stat spam filtering
21779 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
21780 @cindex spam filtering
21781 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
21782 @cindex spam-stat.el
21785 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)}.
21787 @defvar spam-use-stat
21789 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
21790 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
21794 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
21795 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21796 customizing the group parameters or the
21797 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21798 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
21799 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
21802 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
21803 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21804 customizing the group parameters or the
21805 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21806 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
21807 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
21808 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
21809 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21812 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
21813 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
21814 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
21815 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
21818 @node Extending spam.el
21819 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21820 @cindex spam filtering
21821 @cindex spam.el, extending
21822 @cindex extending spam.el
21824 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
21825 incoming mail, provide the following:
21833 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21834 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21839 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21841 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21846 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21847 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21848 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21851 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
21858 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
21859 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
21862 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21863 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
21864 Only applicable to spam groups.")
21866 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21867 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
21868 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
21876 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
21877 (spam-generic-register-routine
21878 ;; the spam function
21880 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21881 (when (stringp from)
21882 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
21883 ;; the ham function
21886 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
21887 (spam-generic-register-routine
21888 ;; the spam function
21890 ;; the ham function
21892 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21893 (when (stringp from)
21894 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
21897 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
21898 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
21899 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
21900 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
21901 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
21902 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
21907 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21908 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21909 @cindex Paul Graham
21910 @cindex Graham, Paul
21911 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21912 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21913 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21915 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21916 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21917 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21918 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21919 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21920 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21921 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21922 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21923 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21926 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21927 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21928 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21929 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21930 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21931 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21932 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21933 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21935 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21936 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21937 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21938 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21939 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21942 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21943 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21944 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21947 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21948 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21950 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21951 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21952 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21953 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21954 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21956 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21957 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21958 per mail. Use the following:
21960 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21961 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21962 is treated as one spam mail.
21965 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21966 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21967 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21970 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21971 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21972 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21973 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21974 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21975 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21977 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
21978 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
21979 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
21980 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
21981 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
21984 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21985 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21986 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21987 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21990 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21991 reset the dictionary.
21993 @defun spam-stat-reset
21994 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21997 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21998 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21999 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22000 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22001 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22002 only non-spam mails.
22004 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22005 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22006 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22009 @defun spam-stat-save
22010 Save the dictionary.
22013 @defvar spam-stat-file
22014 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22015 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22018 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22019 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22021 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22022 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22025 (require 'spam-stat)
22029 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22032 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22033 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22034 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22035 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22037 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22038 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22039 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22040 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22043 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22044 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22048 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22049 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22052 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22053 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22054 expression are considered potential spam.
22057 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22058 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22059 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22063 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22064 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22065 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22066 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22067 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22070 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22071 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22072 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22076 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22077 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22078 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22079 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22080 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22084 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22085 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22086 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22087 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22092 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22093 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22095 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22097 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22098 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22099 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22102 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22103 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22104 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22107 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22108 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22109 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22110 already been processed as non-spam.
22113 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22114 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22115 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22116 been processed as spam.
22119 @defun spam-stat-save
22120 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22121 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22124 @defun spam-stat-load
22125 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22126 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22129 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22130 Return the spam score for a word.
22133 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22134 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22137 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22138 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22139 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22142 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22143 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22146 (require 'spam-stat)
22150 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22153 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22154 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22155 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22156 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22157 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22158 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22159 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22160 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22161 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22162 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22163 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22164 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22165 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22166 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22169 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22172 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22173 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22174 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22175 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22176 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22177 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22180 @node Various Various
22181 @section Various Various
22187 @item gnus-home-directory
22188 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
22189 defaults to @file{~/}.
22191 @item gnus-directory
22192 @vindex gnus-directory
22193 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
22194 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
22195 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22197 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22198 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22199 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22200 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22202 @item gnus-default-directory
22203 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22204 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22205 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22206 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22207 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22208 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22209 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22212 @vindex gnus-verbose
22213 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22214 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22215 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22216 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22217 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22219 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22220 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22221 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22222 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22224 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22225 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22226 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22227 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22228 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22229 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22230 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22231 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22232 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22233 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22235 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22236 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22237 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22238 read when doing the operation described above.
22240 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22241 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22243 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22244 @cindex characters in file names
22245 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22246 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22247 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22250 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22254 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22255 Windows (phooey) systems.
22257 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22258 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22259 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22260 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22261 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22263 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22264 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22265 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22266 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22267 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22269 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22270 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22271 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22273 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22274 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22276 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22277 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22278 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22279 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22282 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22290 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22291 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22293 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22295 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22301 Not because of victories @*
22304 but for the common sunshine,@*
22306 the largess of the spring.
22310 but for the day's work done@*
22311 as well as I was able;@*
22312 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22313 but at the common table.@*
22318 @chapter Appendices
22321 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22322 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22323 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22324 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22325 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22326 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22327 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22328 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22329 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22336 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22338 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22339 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22340 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22341 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22342 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22343 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22350 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22351 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22353 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22354 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22355 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22356 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22357 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22359 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22360 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22361 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22362 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22363 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22364 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22366 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22367 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22368 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22369 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22372 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22373 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22374 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22375 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22376 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22377 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22378 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22379 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22380 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22384 @node Gnus Versions
22385 @subsection Gnus Versions
22387 @cindex September Gnus
22389 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22390 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22394 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22395 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22396 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22398 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22399 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22401 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22402 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22404 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22405 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22407 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22408 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22411 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22413 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22414 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22415 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22416 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22417 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22418 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22421 @node Other Gnus Versions
22422 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22425 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22426 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22427 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22428 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22430 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22431 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22432 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22433 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22440 What's the point of Gnus?
22442 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22443 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22444 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22445 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22446 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22447 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22448 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22449 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22450 keep track of millions of people who post?
22452 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22453 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22454 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22455 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22456 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22457 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22458 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22459 every one of you to explore and invent.
22461 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22462 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22465 @node Compatibility
22466 @subsection Compatibility
22468 @cindex compatibility
22469 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22470 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22471 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22476 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22480 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22483 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22486 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22487 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22488 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22489 important variables have their values copied into their global
22490 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22491 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22493 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22494 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22495 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22496 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22497 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22501 @cindex highlighting
22502 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22503 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22504 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22505 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22506 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22507 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22510 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22511 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22512 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22513 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22515 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22516 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22517 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22518 to stop doing it the old way.
22520 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22522 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22524 @cindex reporting bugs
22526 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22527 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22528 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22530 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22531 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22532 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22533 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22538 @subsection Conformity
22540 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22541 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22549 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22553 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22555 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22556 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22557 We do have some breaches to this one.
22563 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22564 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22565 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22566 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22567 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22572 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22573 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22574 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22575 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22577 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22579 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22581 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22582 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22584 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22587 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22588 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22589 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22590 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22591 decoding (verification and decryption).
22593 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22594 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22595 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22596 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22598 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22599 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22601 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22602 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22603 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22604 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22605 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22606 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22607 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22611 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22612 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22617 @subsection Emacsen
22623 Gnus should work on :
22631 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
22635 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22636 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22637 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
22638 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
22639 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
22641 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22642 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22643 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22647 @node Gnus Development
22648 @subsection Gnus Development
22650 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22651 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22652 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22653 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22654 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22655 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22656 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22657 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22659 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22660 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22661 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22662 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22663 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22666 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22667 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22668 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22669 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22670 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22672 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22673 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22674 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22675 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22676 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22677 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22678 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22679 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22680 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22681 can't be assumed to do so.
22686 @subsection Contributors
22687 @cindex contributors
22689 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22690 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22691 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22692 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22693 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22694 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22695 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22696 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22697 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22698 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22700 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22706 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22709 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22710 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22711 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22712 functionality and stuff.
22715 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22716 well as numerous other things).
22719 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22722 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22725 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22728 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22731 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22732 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22735 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22738 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22739 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22742 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22745 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22748 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22751 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22754 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22755 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22758 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22761 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22764 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22767 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22771 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22774 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22777 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22780 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22781 well as autoconf support.
22785 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22786 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22788 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22797 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22801 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22811 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22826 Massimo Campostrini,
22831 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22832 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22836 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22839 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22845 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22850 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22854 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22862 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22864 Michelangelo Grigni,
22868 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22870 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22872 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22879 François Felix Ingrand,
22880 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22881 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22883 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22894 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22895 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22897 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22898 Thor Kristoffersen,
22901 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22919 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22920 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22927 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22932 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22936 John McClary Prevost,
22942 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22947 Christian von Roques,
22950 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22957 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22959 Randal L. Schwartz,
22973 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22978 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22994 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22999 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23000 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23001 (550kB and counting).
23003 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23006 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23007 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23011 @subsection New Features
23012 @cindex new features
23015 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23016 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23017 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23018 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23019 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23022 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23023 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23024 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23027 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23029 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23034 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23035 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23038 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23039 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23042 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23045 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23046 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23047 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23050 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23051 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23052 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23053 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23056 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23057 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23060 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23061 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23062 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23065 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23066 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23069 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23070 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23071 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23074 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23075 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23076 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23079 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23080 the @file{.emacs} file.
23083 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23084 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23087 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23088 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23091 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23092 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23095 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23096 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23099 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23100 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23103 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23106 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23107 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23110 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23111 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23114 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23115 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23118 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23121 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23122 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23125 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23129 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23133 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23134 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23137 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23143 @node September Gnus
23144 @subsubsection September Gnus
23148 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23152 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23157 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23158 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23162 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23163 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23167 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23171 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23172 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23175 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23179 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23182 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23185 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23188 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23192 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23193 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23196 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23200 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23204 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23208 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23212 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23215 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23216 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23219 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23223 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23224 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23227 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23230 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23231 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23232 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23235 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23239 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23242 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23246 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23247 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23250 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23251 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23254 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23255 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23258 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23259 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23260 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23263 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23264 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23267 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23270 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23273 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23276 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23279 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23280 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23283 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23287 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23290 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23295 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23298 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23302 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23305 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23309 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23312 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23315 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23316 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23319 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23320 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23324 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23325 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23328 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23332 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23333 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23336 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23339 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23343 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23347 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23348 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23351 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23355 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23356 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23359 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23360 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23363 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23367 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23370 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23373 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23379 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23381 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23385 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23392 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23395 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23396 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23399 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23400 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23404 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23405 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23408 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23411 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23412 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23415 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23419 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23420 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23424 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23425 Server Internals}).
23428 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23432 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23435 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23436 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23439 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23440 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23441 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23444 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23445 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23448 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23449 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23452 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23456 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23457 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23460 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23461 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23464 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23468 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23471 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23475 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23476 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23479 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23480 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23483 A new command for reading collections of documents
23484 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23485 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23488 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23492 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23493 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23496 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23497 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23498 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23501 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23502 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23506 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23510 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23514 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23519 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23523 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23527 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23528 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23531 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23537 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23539 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23544 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23545 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23546 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23549 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23550 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23551 group, which is created automatically.
23554 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23558 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23561 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23562 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23565 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23569 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23572 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23573 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23576 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23579 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23580 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23583 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23584 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23587 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23588 control over simplification.
23591 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23594 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23598 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23601 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23604 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23605 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23606 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23609 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23610 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23613 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23617 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23618 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23621 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23622 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23625 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23629 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23632 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23635 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23636 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23639 A new function for citing in Message has been
23640 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23643 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23646 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23650 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23651 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23654 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23655 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23658 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23661 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23665 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23666 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23668 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23673 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23674 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23676 If you used procmail like in
23679 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23680 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23681 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23682 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23685 this now has changed to
23689 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23693 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23694 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23697 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23698 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23701 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23702 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23705 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23706 called to position point.
23709 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23710 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23713 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23714 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23717 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23718 subtly different manner.
23721 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23722 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23723 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23726 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23734 @section The Manual
23738 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23739 either @code{texi2dvi}
23741 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23742 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23744 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23746 The following conventions have been used:
23751 This is a @samp{string}
23754 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23757 This is a @file{file}
23760 This is a @code{symbol}
23764 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23768 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23771 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23774 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23777 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23778 ever get them confused.
23782 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23783 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23784 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23785 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23786 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23787 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23788 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23794 @node On Writing Manuals
23795 @section On Writing Manuals
23797 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23798 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23799 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23800 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23801 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23802 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23805 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23806 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23807 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23810 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23811 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23816 @section Terminology
23818 @cindex terminology
23823 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23824 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23825 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23826 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23827 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23831 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23832 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23833 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23834 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23838 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23842 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23847 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23848 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23849 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23850 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23851 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23852 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23853 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23854 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23855 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23857 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23858 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23859 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23860 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23861 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23864 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23865 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23866 access the articles.
23868 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23869 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23870 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23875 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23876 default, way of getting news.
23880 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23881 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23886 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23887 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23891 A message that has been posted as news.
23894 @cindex mail message
23895 A message that has been mailed.
23899 A mail message or news article
23903 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23908 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23913 A line from the head of an article.
23917 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23918 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23922 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23923 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23924 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23925 normal @sc{head} format.
23929 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23930 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23931 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23932 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23933 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23934 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23936 @item killed groups
23937 @cindex killed groups
23938 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23939 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23941 @item zombie groups
23942 @cindex zombie groups
23943 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23946 @cindex active file
23947 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23948 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23949 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23952 @cindex bogus groups
23953 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23954 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23955 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23958 @cindex activating groups
23959 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23960 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23961 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23965 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23967 @item select method
23968 @cindex select method
23969 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23972 @item virtual server
23973 @cindex virtual server
23974 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23975 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23976 whole is a virtual server.
23980 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23981 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23984 @item ephemeral groups
23985 @cindex ephemeral groups
23986 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23987 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23988 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23991 @cindex solid groups
23992 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23993 group buffer are solid groups.
23995 @item sparse articles
23996 @cindex sparse articles
23997 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23998 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24002 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24003 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24007 @cindex thread root
24008 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24009 articles in the thread.
24013 An article that has responses.
24017 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24021 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24022 specified by RFC 1153.
24028 @node Customization
24029 @section Customization
24030 @cindex general customization
24032 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24033 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24034 for some quite common situations.
24037 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24038 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24039 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24040 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24044 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24045 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24047 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24048 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24049 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24053 @item gnus-read-active-file
24054 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24055 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24056 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24057 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24058 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24060 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24061 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24062 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24063 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24067 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24068 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24070 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24071 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24072 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24076 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24077 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24078 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24079 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24080 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24082 @item gnus-visible-headers
24083 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24084 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24085 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24086 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24088 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24090 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24091 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24092 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24095 @item gnus-use-full-window
24096 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24097 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24098 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24099 want to read them anyway.
24101 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24102 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24106 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24107 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24108 lines, which might save some time.
24112 @node Little Disk Space
24113 @subsection Little Disk Space
24116 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24117 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24121 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24122 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24123 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24124 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24127 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24128 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24129 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24130 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24133 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24134 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24135 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24136 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24137 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24143 @subsection Slow Machine
24144 @cindex slow machine
24146 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24147 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24149 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24150 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24152 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24153 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24154 summary buffer faster.
24158 @node Troubleshooting
24159 @section Troubleshooting
24160 @cindex troubleshooting
24162 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24170 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24173 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24174 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24178 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24179 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
24180 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
24181 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
24182 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24185 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24189 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24190 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24191 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24192 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24193 something like that.
24196 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24199 @cindex reporting bugs
24201 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24203 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24204 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24205 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24206 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24208 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24209 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24210 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24211 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24214 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24215 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24216 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24217 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24218 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24219 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24221 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24222 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24223 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24227 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24228 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24231 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24232 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24233 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24234 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24235 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24236 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24237 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24238 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24239 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24240 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24241 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24242 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24243 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24244 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24249 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24250 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24251 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
24252 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24253 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24254 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24255 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24256 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24257 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24258 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
24259 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24260 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24261 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24262 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24263 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24264 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24265 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24266 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24268 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24269 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24271 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24272 @cindex ding mailing list
24273 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
24274 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24278 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24279 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24281 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24282 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24283 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24284 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24287 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24288 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24289 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24290 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24291 and general methods of operation.
24294 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24295 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24296 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24297 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24298 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24299 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24300 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24301 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24302 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24306 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24307 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24308 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24309 @cindex utility functions
24311 @cindex internal variables
24313 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24314 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24315 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24319 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24320 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24321 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24323 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24324 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24325 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24327 @item gnus-group-real-name
24328 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24329 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24332 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24333 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24334 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24335 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24337 @item gnus-get-info
24338 @findex gnus-get-info
24339 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24341 @item gnus-group-unread
24342 @findex gnus-group-unread
24343 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24347 @findex gnus-active
24348 The active entry for @var{group}.
24350 @item gnus-set-active
24351 @findex gnus-set-active
24352 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24354 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24355 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24356 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24359 @item gnus-continuum-version
24360 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24361 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24362 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24365 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24366 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24367 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24369 @item gnus-news-group-p
24370 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24371 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24373 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24374 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24375 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24377 @item gnus-server-to-method
24378 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24379 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24381 @item gnus-server-equal
24382 @findex gnus-server-equal
24383 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24385 @item gnus-group-native-p
24386 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24387 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24389 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24390 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24391 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24393 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24394 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24395 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24397 @item group-group-find-parameter
24398 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24399 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24400 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24402 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24403 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24404 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24406 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24407 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24408 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24410 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24411 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24412 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24413 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24416 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24420 @item gnus-read-method
24421 @findex gnus-read-method
24422 Prompts the user for a select method.
24427 @node Back End Interface
24428 @subsection Back End Interface
24430 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24431 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24432 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24433 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24434 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24435 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24437 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24438 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24439 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24440 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24441 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24442 been opened, the function should fail.
24444 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24445 name. Take this example:
24449 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24450 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24453 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24454 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24456 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24457 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24458 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24460 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24461 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24462 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24464 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24465 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24466 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24467 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24468 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24469 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24472 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24473 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24474 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24475 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24478 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24479 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24480 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24481 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24482 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24483 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24484 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24485 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24486 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24487 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24489 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24490 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24491 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24492 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24493 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24494 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24495 of numbers as long as possible.
24497 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24498 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24499 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24501 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24504 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24507 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24508 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24509 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24510 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24511 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24512 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24516 @node Required Back End Functions
24517 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24521 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24523 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24524 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24525 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24526 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24528 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24529 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24530 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24531 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24533 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24534 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24535 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24536 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24537 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24538 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24539 number, do maximum fetches.
24541 Here's an example HEAD:
24544 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24545 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24546 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24547 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24548 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24549 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24550 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24552 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24553 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24554 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24558 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24559 these in the data buffer.
24561 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24565 head = error / valid-head
24566 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24567 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24568 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24569 header = <text> eol
24572 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24573 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24577 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24578 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24579 field = <text except TAB>
24582 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24586 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24588 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24589 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24591 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24592 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24593 server. In fact, it should do so.
24595 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24596 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24599 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24601 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24602 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24605 There should be no data returned.
24608 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24610 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24611 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24612 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24613 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24615 There should be no data returned.
24618 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24620 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24621 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24622 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24623 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24625 There should be no data returned.
24628 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24630 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24632 There should be no data returned.
24635 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24637 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24638 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24639 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24640 it would be nice if that were possible.
24642 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24643 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24644 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24645 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24646 into its article buffer.
24648 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24649 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24650 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24651 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24652 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24653 on successful article retrieval.
24656 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24658 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24659 making @var{group} the current group.
24661 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24664 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24667 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24670 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24671 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24672 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24673 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24674 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24675 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24676 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24677 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24678 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24682 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24683 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24684 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24688 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24690 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24691 a no-op on most back ends.
24693 There should be no data returned.
24696 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24698 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24701 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24704 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24705 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24708 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24709 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24710 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24711 and the highest as 0.
24714 active-file = *active-line
24715 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24717 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24720 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24721 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24722 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24725 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24727 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24728 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24729 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24730 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24731 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24732 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24734 There should be no result data from this function.
24739 @node Optional Back End Functions
24740 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24744 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24746 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24747 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24748 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24750 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24751 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24752 former is in the same format as the data from
24753 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24754 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24757 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24761 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24763 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24764 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24765 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24766 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24767 should return a non-nil value.
24769 There should be no result data from this function.
24772 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24774 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24775 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24776 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24777 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24778 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24779 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24780 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24781 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24783 There should be no result data from this function.
24786 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24788 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24789 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24790 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24791 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24792 propagate the mark information to the server.
24794 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24797 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24800 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24801 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24802 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24803 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24804 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24805 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24806 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24807 possible, not limit itself to these.
24809 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24810 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24811 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24812 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24814 An example action list:
24817 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24818 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24819 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24822 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24823 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24825 There should be no result data from this function.
24827 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24829 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24830 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24831 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24832 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24833 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24835 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24836 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24837 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24840 There should be no result data from this function.
24843 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24845 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24846 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24847 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24848 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24849 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24850 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24851 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24853 There should be no result data from this function.
24856 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24858 The result data from this function should be a description of
24862 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24864 description = <text>
24867 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24869 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24870 groups available on the server.
24873 description-buffer = *description-line
24877 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24879 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24880 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24881 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24882 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24883 in the active buffer format.
24885 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24886 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24887 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24888 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24889 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24890 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24891 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24894 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24896 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24898 There should be no return data.
24901 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24903 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24904 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24905 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24906 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24907 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24910 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24913 There should be no result data returned.
24916 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24919 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24920 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24922 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24923 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24924 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24925 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24926 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24927 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24929 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24930 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24933 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24934 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24936 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
24937 article for that group.
24939 There should be no data returned.
24942 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24944 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24945 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24946 this function in short order.
24948 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24949 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24951 There should be no data returned.
24954 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24956 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24957 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24959 There should be no data returned.
24962 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24964 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24965 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24966 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24968 There should be no data returned.
24971 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24973 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24974 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24976 There should be no data returned.
24981 @node Error Messaging
24982 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24984 @findex nnheader-report
24985 @findex nnheader-get-report
24986 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24987 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24988 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24989 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24990 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24991 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24994 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24996 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24999 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25000 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25001 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25002 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25004 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25005 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25006 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25009 @node Writing New Back Ends
25010 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25012 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25013 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25014 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25015 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25016 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25019 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25020 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25021 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25023 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25024 package called @code{nnoo}.
25026 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25027 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25033 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25034 parameters. For instance:
25037 (nnoo-declare nndir
25041 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25042 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25045 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25046 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25047 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25049 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25050 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25051 a function in those back ends.
25054 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25055 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25056 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25059 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25060 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25061 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25063 @item nnoo-define-basics
25064 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25068 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25072 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25073 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25074 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25076 @item nnoo-map-functions
25077 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25078 functions from the parent back ends.
25081 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25082 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25083 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25086 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25087 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25088 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25089 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25092 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25093 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25094 haven't already been defined.
25100 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25104 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25105 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25106 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25111 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25114 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25115 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25119 (require 'nnheader)
25123 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25125 (nnoo-declare nndir
25128 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25129 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25130 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25132 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25133 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25136 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25138 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25139 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25140 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25142 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25143 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25145 ;;; Interface functions.
25147 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25149 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25150 (setq nndir-directory
25151 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25153 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25154 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25155 (push `(nndir-current-group
25156 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25157 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25159 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25160 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25162 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25164 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25165 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25166 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25167 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25168 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25172 nnmh-status-message
25174 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25180 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25181 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25183 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25184 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25185 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25186 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25187 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25189 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25190 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25195 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25198 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25200 The abilities can be:
25204 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25206 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25208 This back end supports both mail and news.
25210 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25213 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25214 articles and groups.
25216 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25217 true for almost all back ends.
25218 @item prompt-address
25219 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25220 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25221 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25225 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25226 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25228 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25229 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25230 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25231 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25234 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25235 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25236 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25239 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25240 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25243 This function takes four parameters.
25247 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25250 @item exit-function
25251 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25253 @item temp-directory
25254 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25257 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25258 performed for one group only.
25261 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25262 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25263 find the article number assigned to this article.
25265 The function also uses the following variables:
25266 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25267 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25268 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25269 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25273 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25274 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25278 @node Score File Syntax
25279 @subsection Score File Syntax
25281 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25282 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25283 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25285 Here's a typical score file:
25289 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25296 BNF definition of a score file:
25299 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25300 element = rule / atom
25301 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25302 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25303 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25304 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25306 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25307 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25308 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25309 date-header = "date"
25310 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25311 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25312 score = "nil" / <integer>
25313 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25314 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25315 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25316 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25317 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25318 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25319 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25320 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25321 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25322 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25323 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25324 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25325 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25326 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25327 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25328 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25329 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25330 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25331 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25332 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25333 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25334 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25335 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25336 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25337 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25338 eval = "eval" space <form>
25339 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25342 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25345 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25346 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25347 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25348 one looong line, then that's ok.
25350 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25351 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25355 @subsection Headers
25357 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25358 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25359 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25360 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25362 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25363 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25364 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25365 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25366 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25367 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25368 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25370 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25371 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25372 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25373 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25374 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25376 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25377 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25383 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25384 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25386 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25387 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25388 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25389 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25391 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25395 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25398 is transformed into
25401 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25404 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25405 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25408 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25411 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25412 is slightly tricky:
25415 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25421 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25424 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25430 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25437 and is equal to the previous range.
25439 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25440 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25441 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25445 range = simple-range / normal-range
25446 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25447 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25448 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25449 number *[ " " contents ]
25452 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25453 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25454 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25455 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25456 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25461 @subsection Group Info
25463 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25464 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25465 describes the group.
25467 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25468 second is a more complex one:
25471 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25473 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25474 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25476 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25479 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25480 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25481 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25482 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25483 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25484 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25485 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25486 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25487 this section is about.
25489 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25490 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25491 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25493 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25496 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25497 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25498 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25499 group = quote <string> quote
25500 ralevel = rank / level
25501 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25502 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25503 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25505 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25506 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25507 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25508 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25511 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25512 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25515 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25516 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25519 @item gnus-info-group
25520 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25521 @findex gnus-info-group
25522 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25523 Get/set the group name.
25525 @item gnus-info-rank
25526 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25527 @findex gnus-info-rank
25528 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25529 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25531 @item gnus-info-level
25532 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25533 @findex gnus-info-level
25534 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25535 Get/set the group level.
25537 @item gnus-info-score
25538 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25539 @findex gnus-info-score
25540 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25541 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25543 @item gnus-info-read
25544 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25545 @findex gnus-info-read
25546 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25547 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25549 @item gnus-info-marks
25550 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25551 @findex gnus-info-marks
25552 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25553 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25555 @item gnus-info-method
25556 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25557 @findex gnus-info-method
25558 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25559 Get/set the group select method.
25561 @item gnus-info-params
25562 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25563 @findex gnus-info-params
25564 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25565 Get/set the group parameters.
25568 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25569 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25571 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25572 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25573 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25574 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25577 @node Extended Interactive
25578 @subsection Extended Interactive
25579 @cindex interactive
25580 @findex gnus-interactive
25582 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25583 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25584 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25587 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25588 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25593 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25594 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25595 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25596 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25597 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25598 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25599 @code{interactive}.
25601 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25606 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25607 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25611 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25612 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25613 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25616 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25620 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25624 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25630 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25631 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25635 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25636 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25637 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25639 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25640 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25641 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25642 Gnus, that's very useful.
25644 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25645 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25646 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25647 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25648 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25649 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25650 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25651 following function:
25654 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25658 (,function ,@@args))
25662 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25663 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25664 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25667 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25668 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25669 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25671 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25672 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25673 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25676 @node Various File Formats
25677 @subsection Various File Formats
25680 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25681 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25685 @node Active File Format
25686 @subsubsection Active File Format
25688 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25689 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25692 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25695 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25696 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25697 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25698 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25699 no.general 1000 900 y
25702 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25705 active = *group-line
25706 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25707 group = <non-white-space string>
25709 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25710 low-number = <positive integer>
25711 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25714 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25715 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25718 @node Newsgroups File Format
25719 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25721 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25722 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25723 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25726 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25727 Here's the definition:
25731 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25732 group = <non-white-space string>
25734 description = <string>
25739 @node Emacs for Heathens
25740 @section Emacs for Heathens
25742 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25743 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25744 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25745 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25746 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25747 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25748 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25752 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25753 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25758 @subsection Keystrokes
25762 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25765 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25768 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25769 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25770 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25771 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25772 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25773 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25775 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25776 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25777 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25778 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25779 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25780 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25781 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25783 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25784 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25785 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25786 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25787 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25788 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25789 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25791 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25792 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25793 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25794 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25795 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25801 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25803 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25804 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25805 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25806 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25808 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25809 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25810 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25811 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25812 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25813 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25814 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25817 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25818 write the following:
25821 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25824 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25825 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25826 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25829 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25830 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25831 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25832 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25833 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25835 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25836 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25837 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25841 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25845 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25848 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25849 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25852 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25855 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25856 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25859 @include gnus-faq.texi
25879 @c Local Variables:
25881 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25883 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25884 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25885 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25886 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25887 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref